Time and the Trickster
by Lumendea
Summary: Sequel to The Companion Connection. Rose Tyler is the Defender of Earth in her own right and the girlfriend of the Doctor in a temporally complicated relationship. Now with her second year at university starting she knows that life isn't going to be calm or easy, but even Rose has no idea what is in store. Thirteen adventures and fourth in the Guardians of the Universe series.
1. Mission in Time: White Guardian's Errand

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter One: White Guardian's Errand

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: Welcome to the fourth story in the Guardians of the Universe series. If you have not read The Blond Girl, Defender of the Earth and the Companion Connection I strongly urge you to read those first otherwise you will be very lost very quickly. To all returning readers, thank you so much for all the awesome support you have given this series! This episode was inspired by the Sarah Jane Adventures episode Lost in Time, but I've made a lot of background changes to fill in some plot holes and questions that I had when watching the episode.

Rose Tyler was nineteen years old and in her second year of university at Cambridge. At first glance a stranger wouldn't have noticed anything unusual about Rose Tyler. She was of average height, had a toned body from athletic pursuits and wore blue jeans with t-shirts and trainers just like a lot of kids in university. It wasn't her motorcycle, friendship with her favorite professor or even her simple approach to her hair and makeup that set her apart. Instead it was her knowledge of aliens and her history with different sentient species that set her apart.

She had first encountered aliens at the age of eleven when an alien being known as the Pied Piper kidnapped children in her area. A few years later she was attacked by a living Mona Lisa straight up of its frame. Now at nineteen an average month for Rose included dealing with some alien threat to Earth and seeing her alien boyfriend, a time traveling humanoid known simply as the Doctor who had a complicated temporal relationship with her.

Yet September had been quiet with Rose working in the UNIT labs with Malcolm, Toshiko and the newly arrived Kate and no exciting alien threats at all. October had typical for the average university students: returning to her apartment by the Cambridge Botanical Gardens, resuming classes and having dinner with the Chesterton's every other Sunday. It was now late October and the temperature drop had already occurred, leaving a chill in the air and the firm understanding in the population that winter was coming. So after nearly two months of calm with nothing interesting, at least not on Rose's scale of interesting, she was beginning to feel extremely bored. She'd gotten ahead on her schoolwork and had already written two of her first term papers just in an attempt to fill her hours. Rose had competed with some of the school fencers a few times, not using her real sword of course, taken a pottery class and finally read Malcolm's recent book on psychics.

Even her last three dates with the Doctor had been calm. Renaissance Florence was lovely and beautiful, the Festival of Lights on the planet Simpi VI was stunning and the World Fair in Chicago had remained remarkably alien free. Which was why Rose Tyler was now standing in front of a small shop while she held her umbrella in one hand and a letter in the other. Rose was wearing her crème trench coat and a red knit cap over her loose blonde hair. She glanced at the address mentioned in the letter and back at the shop. It didn't look like a place in trouble. Of course Rose wasn't really expecting it to. Once again she had doubts bubble to the surface. She looked down at the letter again and reread the neat script.

Dear Miss Tyler,

I request your assistance in handling an unusual matter that requires special skills that you possess. Please meet me this Saturday at ten o'clock at the following address.

The letter had the address under the message, but not signature and Rose had been very tempted to throw it out or call UNIT until a note from Eve had arrived. It had been the shortest message that her friend had ever sent with only two words: have fun.

Folding up the letter, Rose slipped it into her coat pocket and examined the shop again. It was a small place with large windows that had old antiques on display. Unfortunately it reminded her a bit of the shop where she had brought the brooch last Christmas as part of a plan by the White Guardian. Rose's hand went to her pocket to check for the sonic pen and her phone was tucked in the pocket of her coat. She nibbled at her lip for a moment before her curiosity and sense of adventure won the internal debate. Walking across the street, Rose went to the front door, pulled it open and stepped inside the shop. An old fashioned bell rang at the top of the door as she stepped further into the shop.

It was clean with glass lamps hanging throughout the main room from the high ceiling. A thick green carpet squished under Rose's feet as she stepped inside. The room was filled with tables with various items on them from music boxes to small statues. Several paintings of varying ages were on display on the walls or on standing easels. She stepped further into the room, her shoulder brushing a tall standing plants and she caught a glimpse of herself in an ornate full length mirror. On a table next to her was a beautiful old fashioned necklace sitting in a small ornate box. Gently Rose picked up the box and examined the necklace, it looked almost medieval in design with a large blue stone surrounded by engraved gold and decorated with pearls.

"Hello," a strange voice called from the far side of the room.

Looking to the side of the room, Rose frowned slightly as she noticed a pair of large white chairs with a small table between them. On the table was a beautiful tea service that looked strangely familiar and behind the left chair was a tall bird perch with a parrot sitting on it. Her fingers tightened around the box, snapping it closed as she took a reflective step back.

"Oh no," Rose breathed. It was all too much like the shop in London that the White Guardian and that odd servant of his had been behind. Rose turned back towards the door and started to walk towards it.

"Please Miss Tyler," the deep voice of the mysterious Shopkeeper called out from behind her. "Please just hear us out."

Rose sighed and turned back towards the chairs. The Shopkeeper was standing next to one of them. His paisley suit was neat and well-tailored just as it had been on their first meeting and he was still wearing the kufi with the large gold tassel.

"I hope you had a pleasant summer," the Shopkeeper said warmly to her with smile.

"What do you want?" Rose questioned, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Please," the Shopkeeper said gesturing to the chair in front of him. "Sit down and have some tea."

"Last time I took tea from you it was drugged," Rose reminded him.

The Shopkeeper nodded and looked a little embarrassed. "That was an unusual circumstance Miss Tyler," he insisted. "I would never harm you," he added with conviction.

His tone surprised Rose and she found herself believing that there was at least some truth in his words, but she stayed in place. The Shopkeeper sighed, but nodded in understanding. A moment later there was a flash of light that disoriented Rose for a moment.

"Hello my dear." Rose turned at the voice and found the White Guardian sitting in a simple chair with a pleased smile on his face. "Rose," he greeted warmly. "I have a little errand for you."

Rose remained calm as she studied the Guardian for a moment. He was dressed in a perfectly clean white suit that matched his neatly trimmed white hair and beard. His tie this time was a light blue color that matched the handkerchief in his pocket and the small flower that was pinned to his lapel.

"Hello Rose," the White Guardian greeted. He turned and accepted a cup of tea from the Shopkeeper. "Please sit down."

"There are only two chairs," Rose noted.

"This is for you," the Shopkeeper said as he gestured to the empty chair. "Please sit."

"Why did you send me that letter?" Rose asked, turning her focus to the White Guardian and raising an eyebrow.

The White Guardian sighed softly and set his tea back on the table by the service before looking at Rose. "Very well my dear," he said calmly. "I need your help. A situation has arisen that could potentially destroy the world you know."

Rose blinked at the matter of fact way that the White Guardian made that announcement. "What do you mean?" Rose asked with wide eyes.

"Time is under attack," the White Guardian said calmly. "I believe you already know of the Silver Lord an abdominal mix of chronovore and Eternal, but now he has combined forces with an equally dangerous being known as the Trickster and helped him manifest himself into our universe."

"Who is the Trickster?" Rose asked with a frown. She knew that the Silver Lord was dangerous, but had never heard of this new being.

It was the Shopkeeper who answered her question, "The Trickster is an extra-dimensional being who along with the rest of the Pantheon of Discord was banished from this universe. However in certain circumstances he is able to manifest himself within the universe long enough to create chaos which gives him power."

"Chaos," Rose repeated thoughtfully. "Is he the Black Guardian's servant?"

"No," the White Guardian replied quickly with a glance around. "And I wouldn't suggest such a thing again." The White Guardian then added, "The Trickster wishes for chaos that is capable of ripping the universe apart while the Black Guardian is still a protector of the universe. He would never work with a creature looking to destroy it."

"I see," Rose said, now feeling concerned. "So he's teamed up with Silver Lord now, what are they doing?"

"Has the Doctor explained the Web of Time to you?" The White Guardian asked as he picked his tea up again. He took a sip as Rose shook her head. "The Web of Time was the orderly co-existence of events within Time as created by the Time Lords. It fixed certain events within time to avoid chaos and damage to time."

"The Time Lords are gone," Rose pointed out.

"Yes, and much of the Web of Time is gone, allowing Time to take on the most flexible flow that it originally possessed when the universe was new." The White Guardian paused and said, "I never cared much for the Web of Time myself, but it had its uses."

"You said that time can mostly flex and flow now," Rose pointed out. "Does that mean that not all of it can?"

"Indeed," the White Guardian said. "The Web of Time was established with several key points and planets holding it in place. Now in addition to take imagine millions of threads, timelines being twisted around each other, linking to one another over, under and around these key points. This is why despite the end of the Time Lords there are still fixed points in time. Too much structure remains in some areas of the Web of Time for all things to be rewritten. Since the Time War, time and space are more vulnerable to change and paradox as time is flexible in some point and not at all in others."

"I see," Rose said with a concerned look. "And the Silver Lord and the Trickster are attacking this how?"

"Earth I'm afraid was one of the worlds that held the Web of Time in place," the White Guardian said calmly. "It is one of the reasons your planet is attacked and invaded so much. Time itself pulls beings in from around the universe, not on purpose of course, but the cosmic placement of your world is very significant. Only a handful of worlds existed like this: Gallifrey and Skarro notably."

Rose swallowed and her face paled.

"I see you recognize those names," the White Guardian observed with a nod. "Well now the timeline and history of Earth is about to come under attack in a way that would disintegrate almost all of the remaining Web of Time and possibly destroy Earth in the collapse of it."

"Okay," Rose said with a nod. "How can I help?"

"Good girl," the White Guardian said warmly before he gestured for the Shopkeeper to take over.

The Shopkeeper walked around the chair to stand near Rose.

"Together the Trickster and the Silver Lord have forged a new form of metal that they are calling chronosteel. They used their powers over time and created it in the time vortex. It can alter timelines, change destiny even in fixed points and three pieces of it are lodged at key points in the history of Earth."

The parrot nodded on his perch to the Shopkeeper. "They must be recovered."

"What objects and where in history?" Rose asked, stepping closer to the Shopkeeper and the White Guardian.

"Could be anything," the Shopkeeper said with a shrug. "And anywhen?"

"So what can I do?" Rose asked. "Do you need me to call the Doctor so I can travel through time in order to find these objects."

"The Doctor is of no use here," the White Guardian said. "His Time Lord nature is a disadvantage here. You must go through time on your own. The Artron energy that you carry from the TARDIS will protect you in the time window."

The Shopkeeper made an elegant gesture with his hand and a glowing hole appeared in the air in front of Rose. The edges of it twisted and turned as the portal churned in the air.

"If you can make that, why can't you go?" Rose asked the Shopkeeper suspiciously.

"I am a servant of the White Guardian," the Shopkeeper explained. "I am his disciple and it is forbidden for me to travel through time." He grinned at Rose and added, "But you can."

"If I go and I'm not saying I will," Rose said quickly, "Then how do I get back?"

"This Time Window has been locked onto the energy signature of the chronosteel," the White Guardian explained from his chair. "It will take you near the chronosteel. Simply touch the object and it will lead you to the next one. Once you have all three we will be able to pull you back to this time. All you have to do is touch the chronosteel with your skin."

Rose looked at the Time Window nervously and then back at the White Guardian who was watching her with an expressionless face. "You're sure the Doctor can't help me with this one? I've never traveled through time on my own before."

"The chronosteel will react differently to him than it would to you," the White Guardian said firmly. "It had to be crafted to react with humans in order to change Earth's time line and you are a human, but one who is aware of the proper time line and whose touch can stabilize the effect long enough to bring the items to me."

"What will you do with them?" Rose demanded.

"They will be unable to effect time in the Hall of the Universe," the White Guardian replied. "I believe you remember it."

Rose swallowed and looked back at the Time Window. "Earth will be destroyed if I fail?"

"I'm afraid so," the White Guardian said. "This plot was done to avoid the intervention of the Guardians of the Universe."

"Well then," Rose said taking a deep breath. "What do I do to go through this thing?"

The White Guardian smiled at Rose and stood from his chair. He nodded respectfully to her. "Thank you Rose. Be careful, history can be a dangerous place."

The Shopkeeper snapped his fingers three times and the Time Window suddenly opened wide and rushed towards Rose. She flinched back on reflect as a wind howled around her and swept her up. Then everything went still and she lost track of everything.

Rose forced her eyes open and sat up slowly. She was in a strange room, more like a hall actually. A timber roof was over her head with some paintings on it and elegant carvings. One the wall in the corner of her eye she saw a heavy tapestry hanging over the stone wall. Forcing herself to her feet, Rose noticed that she was still holding the jewelry box in her right hand. Once she was standing, Rose noticed the furniture and tall standing candles that were lit. The place looked strangely familiar and right out a Tudor era history show.

Footsteps down the hall made Rose turn towards the doorway just in time to see a short middle aged woman dressed in a dark Tudor era dress walk through the door. The woman gasped at the sight of Rose, but recovered quickly.

"Goodness you gave me a fair fright," the woman said as she recovered her breath. "Creeping up like that." Then the woman's face became confused as she studied Rose. "You are not expected until the morrow."

"Forgive me," Rose said swallowing back her nerves. "I did not mean to startle you." Rose struggled for something to say. "It has been a long journey and I-"

"Oh of course," the woman said gently. "I'm sorry milady. I am certain that it has been a long journey indeed."

"And you're expecting me," Rose questioned.

"Of course," the woman looked confused again. "It was the Queen's personal request that you came. Queen Jane is eager to meet you."

Rose blinked and turned back to the woman, dread settling into her stomach. She may not have been very good at history and couldn't say for certain what year she was in, but even she knew the name Queen Jane. Tudor Era indeed and she'd arrived after the death of King Edward and the rise of Queen Mary.

"Jane?" Rose repeated softly, her mixed emotions must have shown.

"Oh you are tired indeed," the woman remarked. "I am Mistress Ellen, head of Her Majesty's Household. I've been with her since she was babe. Lady Jane she was then."

"Of course Lady Jane Grey," Rose said with a nod.

"She was made Queen nine days ago," Mistress Ellen said pleasantly.

"Yes, of course," Rose said with a nervously swallow. "Thank you. I suppose I am simply nervous."

"Now," Mistress Ellen said as she glanced over Rose in confusion. "We had best find you more suitable attire for the Queen's new Lady-in-Waiting.

Mistress Ellen turned away and gestured for Rose to follow her. It took Rose a moment to recover from her shock and follow. Important moments in history indeed.


	2. Mission in Time: Nine Days Queen

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Two: Nine Days Queen

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: I realized that I finished The Companion Connection in 362 days, finishing two days before its one year anniversary. How cool is that!? One full 13 episode season written in one year, let's hope I can repeat it with this story. Once again this sequence is from a Sarah Jane Adventures story.

The dress was beautiful and right out of the large paintings that Rose had seen at the National Gallery, but it was also heavy. The bodice was stiff and completely foreign to Rose and the weight of the skirt made her feel off balance. None the less, Rose smiled as she caught her reflection in the mirror of the dressing room. The color was a light cream and the cut of the dress was elegant, but simple without any extreme ruffles and only a touch of lace. Rose's hair was swept up in a bun and a necklace with a small stone hung around her neck. She glanced over at the table where her normal clothing was folded neatly under her coat.

Mistress Ellen smiled and turned towards the doorway. Rose snatched the mobile out of the clothing pile and quickly powered it off before slipping it into her bodice to hide. She wasn't entirely sure what could get her burned alive right now, but she was pretty sure witchcraft accusations would do the trick. Well that and being the wrong religion which she definitely was due to an absence of religious affiliation. Without the Doctor's presence and confidence, plus the TARDIS as an escape route Rose was finding this trip through time much more stressful than her pervious trips.

"A lovely gift you brought for the Queen," Mistress Ellen said as she examined the necklace in the box that Rose had been transported with.

"I am glad you think it will do," Rose said as she accepted the box back from Ellen.

"Her Majesty will adore it I am sure," Ellen said with a smile. "Please milady, follow me."

Rose followed the older woman down one of the corridors of the Tower of London, hearing voices up ahead. They paused at an archway that was covered with a translucent white curtain. On the other side Rose could see a figure in a gown sitting in a large wooden chair.

"It is only me Your Majesty," Ellen said with a warmth in her voice that made Rose smile sadly. "And your new lady. May we enter?"

"Lady Matilda," A voice gentle voice in the other room said, "My crown please."

Rose watched through the veil as a crown was placed on the head of the young woman with brown hair. She couldn't see her features clearly, but the voice betrayed just how young Queen Jane was and Rose nearly flinched.

"We are ready to receive you now," the Queen called out to them.

Ellen smiled at Rose and stepped through the curtain first into a small well lit room where Queen Jane sat. The Queen was dressed in an elegant gown of red and gold with a simple golden crown resting on her head. She was merely a teenage girl, her face still rounded by baby fat, but her eyes dark with worry even as she tried not to show it. Rose nervously followed Ellen towards the grand chair. A woman in her late twenties with black hair and a headdress, wearing a dress similar to Rose's stood at the Queen's side with a stern expression.

The room wasn't very large, but richly furnished with the Queen's grand chair at one end and a large fireplace directly opposite where a fire roared lighting up the room. Tapestries, candle holders and a small table with refreshments decorated the room. Yet there was a tension present in the room that set Rose on edge and she had to resist the urge to summon forth her sword.

"Your Majesty," Ellen said with a curtsey to the Queen, "May I present Lady…." The matronly woman looked at Rose with a slight flush of embarrassment, but Rose stepped forward calmly.

"Lady Rose," Rose greeted, managing a decent curtsey despite the unfamiliar movement and weight of the dress. "Of Bannerman," she added quickly realizing the shortness of her introduction. It wasn't completely false. She was a Lady thanks to Gavin, just on another planet.

"I know it not," the Queen replied, but her confused expression faded into a warm smile. "But I am most grateful that you have arrived." The Queen looked to Ellen, "You may leave us Ellen." The Queen then looked towards the other lady in waiting, "You too Matilda."

Lady Matilda gave a graceful curtsey to the Queen and move towards the doorway and Rose. She stopped just in front of Rose with a trained smile on her face as she steadied Rose. "Forgive me," Matilda said a moment later, "But I thought the request was for an elderly companion. And I heard the Countess of Arundel was already on her way." The false smile on Matilda's face vanished and she turned to the Queen. "Your Majesty can we trust this stranger?"

Rose kept her expression calm and controlled even as she heard the accusation in Matilda's voice. She'd faced aliens and wasn't going to be upset by a snarking Tudor woman. Turning towards Queen Jane, Rose preformed another curtsey and managed to keep better control of the dress this time. "I hope Her Majesty will judge me on my own character as she might judge you on yours."

Matilda kept her face calm, but the muscle of her shoulders and neck tensed as she glared at Rose. Holding back a smirk, Rose calmly met the gaze of Lady Matilda.

"Well said," the Queen said from her throne. Rose turned to see that Queen Jane had a slight smile on her face. "Matilda where are your manners. I say again, leave us."

Matilda curtseyed to the Queen and walked past Rose, giving her an ugly and distrustful look that the Queen could not see. Rose remained calm in place until the woman was gone, tightening her grip on the jewelry box in her hand.

"And what is this you bring me?" the Queen asked as her eyes dropped to the box.

Rose smiled and stepped forward with a small bow to hand the Queen the box. Queen Jane ran her fingers gently over the cravings of the elegant box for a moment before she opened it. Rose noted the girl's pleased smile and was happy that she'd been holding something of the right time period when she was pulled through. Of course the Guardian may have planned it that way.

"This is beautiful," the Queen said softly. "Thank you Lady Rose."

Queen Jane looked up at Rose and they studied each other in silence for a moment. While she was young, Rose could see a heavy tension on the teenaged girl and her eyes flickered to her hands which were peeling horribly. The Queen itched her left hand in a stressed motion that looked painful and only caused more skin to peel.

"It must be so hard for you," the Queen said snapping Rose out of her thoughts. "Coming here on your own and so far from home."

"Yes," Rose said with a nod. "Home is very far away."

"I am alone as well," Queen Jane said softly, her expression tense and sorrowful. "Even those I thought most loyal now call for Lady Mary to be crowned in my place." The girl's hands shook for a moment before Queen Jane forced them still and shook her head. "Oh it is all too distressing to discuss."

The Queen rose from her throne and walked past Rose to set the jewelry box on a table near the fireplace. In the firelight Jane only looked younger and smaller, reminding Rose very much of a girl playing dress up in her mother's clothing. Jane's education must have been impressive as she was doing a remarkable job of keeping her expression neutral.

"If you'd like to talk about it, I'm happy to listen," Rose said before she realized how horribly out of place those words were. It was the sort of thing she said to her friends, not a Queen of England.

Queen Jane turned and looked at Rose, a confused, but hopeful expression on her face. Rose gave the girl a small smile of encouragement and Jane's face eased slightly. Now she looked sad and frightened, but also resigned to events out of her control.

"When the King died without an heir we thought his sister Mary would take the throne, but he made me Queen," Jane said fidgeting, her back to Rose as she moved closer to the fire. "And I never wanted to be." She sounded ready to cry now as her careful acting fell away. "My father–in-law saw it as a way to gain power for himself."

"Father-in-law? You're married?" Rose asked in shock.

Jane turned to look at Rose and sighed while nodding, "My mother forced me to marry Lord Dudley." Jane walked closer to Rose and added, "The man is an arse." Jane chuckled at the words and shook her head. Laughing, Rose joined Jane in front of the fire as the younger girl continued to vent. Rose couldn't help but wonder how long her unhappiness and fear had been building up, probably longer than just the last few days.

"He talks of nothing but himself, fails to compliment me if I wear a new gown," Jane listened off with resignation. "And he never washes," she added with a laugh.

Rose chuckled and said, "I know men like that."

Jane laughed and turned to Rose. "I like you Lady Rose," Jane said warmly. "It feels as if it has been forever since someone spoke to me as a person. Tell me of yourself."

"There isn't much to tell I'm afraid," Rose replied with a slight shrug.

"Are you married?" Jane questioned.

"No," Rose said with a laugh, but Jane gave her a confused look. "I'm only nineteen."

"I am sixteen and wed," Jane replied. "Surely you have a sweetheart. A gentleman who occupies your thoughts?"

"Yes," Rose answered with a small smile. "I do and we are to be wed in the future." Rose's smile widened at those words. It almost made her sound engaged, to the Doctor of all people. Of course currently his Ninth self was avoiding her due to his attraction to her. "But I'm not sure that I'd call him a gentleman," Rose added with a smirk.

Jane truly laughed now and stepped closer. "Bit of a rouge is he?"

"Oh he can be," Rose agreed with a smile. "He can also be very charming and sweet," Rose added.

Rose shifted towards the table, gently touching one of the goblets sitting on it. She wondered if there was a discrete way to touch Jane's crown. The chronosteel was a metal so maybe that was it, but could that change history? Rose felt very confused and wished she knew her history better. She only knew Queen Jane was the Nine Days Queen after Mary took power and nothing of the lords involved or anything else that may have occurred.

"Is he handsome?" Queen Jane questioned, pleased for the distraction.

"Very," Rose said, "But I'll not tell him that, his ego is healthy enough as it is."

Rose's eyes went throughout the room and she wondered if she needed to leave Jane and search the whole of the Tower of London. But she couldn't shake the feeling that a change in history would have to do with the transition from Queen Jane to Queen Mary. But perhaps the object was with Mary and not Jane. She had no idea of what nearby could near to the Time Window she'd been tossed through.

"Lady Rose?" Queen Jane asked as Rose touched another goblet. "Are you looking something?"

"Sorry Your Majesty," Rose said quickly turning back to Jane. "I'm meant to be… it's complicated," she finished hesitantly.

Jane gave Rose a searching look before she said, "You can tell me. We are friends now are we not?"

"Yes we are," Rose agreed, feeling a twisting in her heart at the spark of relief in Jane's eyes at her words.

Just then Ellen and Matilda walked into the room, not announcing themselves. "What is it Mistress Ellen?" Jane asked in a soft voice, sounding worried.

Ellen's face was sorrowful and she needed a moment to gather herself. "Tis ill tidings," Ellen managed to say. "Mary and her army have reached London."

Jane struggled to breath, her face pale and her hands shaking as Matilda stepped forward and held out a roll of paper.

"This was nailed to door of St. Paul's," the dark haired woman informed Jane.

Jane turned her eyes away from the scroll and said, "I fear to read it." Her hands were twisting together and her body was shivering despite her closeness to the fire.

Rose stepped forward next to Jane and touched her arm gently before taking the scroll from Matilda's hand. She looked at Jane who nodded to her. Opening the scroll, Rose stepped closer to the fire so she could read the words.

"On this the nineteenth day of July 1553 Lady Mary justly claimed the Crown of England and she calls upon all her subjects to reject," Rose looked up at Jane's pale face, "Any unlawful claimants."

Jane's shaking hands went to her crown and she carefully lifted it off of her head. "I have no need of this," she said trying to keep her voice steady. "For I am no longer Queen." Jane swallowed and kept her eyes on her hands as she set the crown on the small table with the refreshments. "If I am not Queen then I made false claim to the throne and that makes me a traitor." Jane looked up at Ellen and softly said, "Punishment for traitors is death."

The room was still after Jane's words, no one spoke or cried despite the feeling that they all wished to. Even though Rose had only just met the girl she felt a deep sorrow. She hadn't wished to be Queen and had only wound up Queen due to King Edward's desire to prevent Mary from taking the throne and her horrible father-in-laws political manipulations. A man that Rose noted bitterly wasn't even present.

"I believe that I shall retire now," Jane said raising her chin bravely. "I need some rest."

Ellen nodded and moved forward to take Jane's arm. Matilda gave Rose a sour look before she followed them out the room. Watching them go, Rose clutched and unclutched her hands a few times trying to calm down. The fire was beginning to die down and she wondered if the servants had fled and she should see to it, then she wondered if it mattered. Her eyes fell on the crown which Jane had placed on the table. Walking over to it, Rose glanced down the hall before she carefully touched the metal. Nothing happened and she sighed before moving through the room to examine any other objects of note, but the chronosteel was nowhere to be found.

Wandering out of the room, Rose moved through the quite halls of the Tower of London. Her mind went back to her UNIT memories of this place and its famous bloody history. Slipping her hand into her bodice, Rose retrieved her phone and looked at it calmly. The Guardian had said that history was under threat and that the Doctor couldn't help, but Rose didn't want this to be history. She didn't want that teenage girl to die. Sighing, Rose leaned against the wall and closed her eyes trying to make sense of it all. If Jane held onto the throne now, which wasn't a high probability with Mary's army in the city then she'd probably have children and change the entire course of history. What might an England ruled by the descendants of Jane Grey look like compared to the England that Rose knew. Would it be better, worse or not even exist any longer due to the chronsteel making time unstable.

Mistress Ellen found Rose still leaning against that wall what seemed like hours later. The older woman paused by her and seemed to be trying to find something to say. Rose kept her eyes fixed on one of the wooden ceiling panels as she tried to pull herself back from the depression that was trying to overtake her.

"They're going to execute her," Rose said, not looking at Ellen. "She is only sixteen and she hasn't done anything wrong." Rose looked over at Ellen.

"We could all face the axe milady," Ellen said with a shake of her head.

"There must be something we can do," Rose said straightening up.

"Not tonight there isn't," Ellen said gently, but the pain in her voice remained. "We shall see what morning brings."

Rose nodded as Ellen bid her goodnight and walked down the corridor, but stopped when movement at the far end caught her eyes. Lady Matilda was speaking with a guard quietly with a strange expression on her face. As the guard departed Matilda turned sharply towards the nearby staircase. Without hesitation, Rose gathered up some of her dress and followed as quickly as she could. When Matilda reached a window and began to open it, Rose ducked into the shadows and peeked carefully around the corner.

"Trent?" Matilda called quietly. 'Trent are you there?"

Rose couldn't see another person from the angel she was at, but based on Matilda's next words she guessed that Trent had come over. "Have you word from Sir Thomas?" There were muted whispers from outside the window that Rose couldn't make out. Matilda reached through the window and Rose wondered if she was escaping. But the next moment she straightened up and was holding something in her hand.

"If this is what I think it is I will not have to hide my true purpose much longer."

Matilda shifted back into the light of a candle and Rose could see that she was holding some kind of letter. She tore it open with shaking hands. There was a moment of silence as the woman read the letter. Then she folded it back up with a deep breath and handed it back out the window.

"Tell Sir Thomas the deed will be done by daybreak."

"God speed milady," a male voice answered, much louder than before.

Rose's eyes widened as a long silver dagger in a black sheath was handed to Matilda. The woman held it with near reverence in both hands.

"It is time to bid Lady Jane Grey farewell," Matilda said as she drew the dagger out to inspect it. "For she dies tonight."


	3. Mission in Time: Her Angel

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Three: Her Angel

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: 2 chapters in and 100 followers? Wow! Those of you following and have not yet reviewed please take a moment and leave me your thoughts. How is the pacing working so far, this episode doesn't have a normal three act structure like most so just tell me how it is working.

Rose was frozen in shock for roughly a minute before Matilda inspected the blade again and took a deep breath. The older woman moved towards the staircase with a determined expression which snapped Rose to action.

"Matilda stop!" Rose shouted as she moved forward, pulling up the hem of her dress.

Matilda looked over at her with wide eyes before she rushed to the stairs at an alarming pace. Forcing herself to move faster, Rose rushed after the woman cursing the uncomfortable and restrictive dress that gave Matilda an advantage. The older woman pulled ahead of her and rushed through a heavy wood door. It took Rose only a moment to realize that it led to Jane's bedchamber. The door slammed shut and Rose heard a scream in the time it took her to reach the door. She grabbed at the handle and tried to push the door open, but Matilda must have blocked the door. Rose grunted and pushed her weight against the heavy wood enough to force it open a few inches.

"Help!" Jane's voice shouted from the other side.

Adrenaline rushed through Rose as the frightened voice and she slammed her body against the door again. It opened a few more inches and Rose leveraged herself into the door frame, pushing as hard as she could to open it a little further. A wooden chest had been pulled in front of the door and Rose quickly jumped over it as she searched the room for Jane.

Lady Jane was frantically ducking away from Lady Matilda as the woman swung the dagger towards her. Judging from the open slice on the bed Jane had woken up just in time to avoid the first attack. Rushing forward, Rose jumped across the bed to put herself between Jane and Matilda. The dark haired woman stepped back in alarm as Rose summoned her sword and raised it front of her, disregarding the possible consequences.

"I will not hesitate to use this Matilda," Rose said coldly as she met the brown eyes of the lady in waiting. "Drop it now."

There was hesitation in Matilda's eyes but a moment later she launched herself forward at Rose, slashing at her. Rose caught Matilda's arm with her left hand and slammed the woman's arm against the solid wood bedpost. Matilda gave a cry of pain, but didn't drop the dagger. Rose slammed her arm against the post again while bringing her sword up threatening. The knife fell to the floor with a clatter. Jane darted forward and grabbed the dagger as Rose turned Matilda and shoved her away.

Rose calmly watched as Matilda backed away from her with wide eyes. Jane moved forward to stand next to Rose, her grip tight on the dagger. Then Mistress Ellen rushed into the room, nearly tripping over the trunk. A guard followed her in and Rose stepped in front of Jane as the girl was only in a nightdress.

"Are you alright?" Rose asked softly.

"I am fine," Jane replied as she caught her breath. "You saved my life."

"What happened here?" Ellen asked, her eyes darting to the sword in Rose's hand and the shaking Matilda.

"Matilda just tried to kill Lady Jane," Rose said glaring at the woman in question.

"A treacherous Catholic?" Ellen hissed, moving towards Jane protectively. The guard moved behind Matilda and Rose risked a glance back at Jane who moved closer to Ellen.

"I am no Catholic," Matilda informed them as she straightened up. "I'm a Protestant."

"One of my own?" Jane asked with confusion. "Then why?"

"Your death would have inspired thousands to rise up against Mary," Matilda said. "But now she will simply lock you up and then one day she will have you quietly executed when you could have died a martyr."

The guard grabbed Matilda and Rose turned to Jane. The girl had a frightened, but horribly thoughtful look on her face. A shimmer in the corner of her eyes made Rose's gaze drop to the dagger that Jane was still clutching tightly. The metal was almost glowing silver giving off a strange aura. No one else seemed to notice and Rose's heart jumped as she recognized the object that was changing history.

She had been so wrong to think that the change would be Jane's life with a new royal lineage overseeing England. It had never been about Jane's life, only her death. Rose's eyes went back to Jane's pale face and she had to instantly look away. The girl was only sixteen, but it seemed that she death couldn't be prevented even by the Chronosteel.

"You weren't supposed to die tonight," Rose said softly as her eyes went back to Jane. "I was sent here to save you."

"You haven't saved Lady Jane," Matilda hissed. "You have condemned her to die like a common traitor. Forgotten and alone."

Jane nodded to the guard who pulled Matilda from the room. The young girl said nothing as she turned and walked out the door. Rose glanced at Ellen who had started to cry softly. She touched Jane's nurse on the shoulder before she followed Jane out of the room.

Rose found Jane back in her reception room standing in front of the fireplace. It was burning low so without a word Rose moved forward and collected a few of the waiting logs. Stepping back, Jane gave Rose room to come closer to the fire and watched in silence as Rose carefully added the fresh wood. She examined the flames for a moment before spotting a few fireplace tools and used one to push the logs back into the surviving flames. Thinking of a movie she'd seen, Rose poked at the embers and smiled when the heat intensified and the wood caught fire. Not too bad for a Londoner who'd never bothered with a fireplace before.

Moving back from the fire, Rose waited patiently for Jane to say something. The look on the girl's face was heartbreaking as the girl had given up trying to hid her fear.

"I am afraid of what the morning may bring," Jane finally sad in a shaky voice. It was clear that the girl was only just holding back tears. 'I fear I do not have long for this world." Jane took another shaky breath and a few tears ran down her cheeks before she covered her face. Rose didn't move from her spot. "Forgive me," Jane gasped. "But I feel so alone."

"You're not alone Lady Jane," Rose said gently as she stepped closer to Jane. The girl turned to Rose, her eyes wide. "You have me," Rose told her.

Jane opened her mouth to answer, but Ellen walked into the room drawing Jane's attention. "Ellen, has Lady Matilda been secured?"

"Yes Jane," Ellen answered with a sorrowful expression. "So have we. The palace is surrounded by Mary's guards."

Jane turned away from Ellen towards the fire again. "Then I was right, the end is not far away."

"Can't we just tell Mary the truth?" Rose asked, a hint of desperation in her voice. "You were used by King Edward and your family. You didn't want to be Queen."

"I fear Mary still sees Jane as a threat," Ellen said softly. "If she is to restore the Catholic faith she will not want Jane fueling the Protestant cause."

Both Ellen and Rose looked over at Jane who stared into the fire for a moment. Then the girl took a deep breath and turned to look directly at Ellen.

"You may go now Ellen," Jane said with both sadness and warmth in her voice. "Try to get to safety."

The woman nodded and turned away from them, leaving the room slowly. Rose watched the figure go and noted her shaky shoulders. She doubted that Ellen would go very far from Jane and was merely leaving to grieve. Once Ellen was gone Rose looked back to Jane.

"Somehow I knew when Father brought me here to be crowned that I would not leave," Jane said as she looked everywhere except Rose. "This castle is my palace, but now it is my prison." The girl struggled for a moment, taking several shallow breathes to hold off her tears. Rose was silent unsure of what she could possibly say.

Jane turned to Rose and forced a small smile onto her face. "As I am no longer Queen you may return home if you wish."

It took Rose a moment to process the words and her eyes fell on the dagger that Jane had discarded on the small table near the fireplace. "You're right," Rose said. "I could go home so easily." The dagger shimmered to Rose's eyes once again, almost calling to her, but Rose shook her head. "But I'm not going to. Not yet, not while you still need a friend."

Jane's face was sorrowful, relieved and happy all at the same moment as a watery smile took over the teenager's face. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Rose tightly. Rose returned her embrace, gently stroking Jane's loose hair. A few moments later she felt and heard Jane begin to cry softly at last. Rose desperately wished she knew what to say, but what could a person possibly say to a teenager girl who knew she was going to be a prisoner for the rest of her life until she met the executioner.

Rose didn't know who long Jane stood there in her arms crying before the young lady pulled back and wiped her tears away. Jane gave Rose a soft smile before she glanced at the doorway and then down at her nightgown.

"I will not be sleeping any longer this night," Jane said with soft sigh. "Would you help me dress?"

"Of course," Rose said with a nod. "But I'm afraid that you'll have to lead the way."

Jane chuckled and reached for Rose's hand, clutching the older girl's fingers in a way that betrayed her fear, but also her determination. As Jane lead Rose through the hall, she was amazing at the great dignity of the girl. She had no idea what Mary was truly like, but at that moment Rose could not imagine she could possibly be more regal than Jane.

It did not surprise Rose that they found Ellen in the wardrobe room, sitting in a chair in the corner. The woman looked up at them as they entered the room, tear tracks on her face, but the woman's grief seemed beyond that. Ellen rose from her chair quickly and took Jane's hand to lead her back behind a screen.

"I'll see to milady," Ellen said with a soft note in her voice. "Just as I always have."

Rose nodded in understanding and stepped back. Her eyes fell upon her bundle of clothing on the table and she considered her options for a moment. The Guardian had said that there were three points in time and when Rose touched the dagger she'd be transported to the next location. A tudor dress however beautiful would not do. Glancing back towards the screen that hid Lady Jane and Ellen Rose nodded to herself and grabbed her clothes.

"I shall be in the reception room milady," Rose informed them. "Awaiting your return."

"Thank you Lady Rose," Jane answered gratefully.

Rose ducked into the next room over and carefully shed the elegant dress and jewelry. She retrieved her mobile and changed back into her jeans, feeling a great relief at the ease of movement they gave her. Rose double checked that she had everything that she hand come with before gently draping the dress across a chair. Despite the fact that Mary would be taking over and Rose now carried a deep anger towards the next ruler the dress was still too lovely for her to throw in the fire.

Returning to the reception room, Rose glanced back at the dagger which shimmered again. She was more completely confident that she was only one who could see it.

"Just wait," Rose said. "I'll go soon, but not yet."

Rose pulled out her mobile and her finger hovered over the speed dial for the TARDIS. She wanted to call the Doctor and beg him to take Jane away, but she knew better. The Doctor had explained about fixed points in time and Rose now had a sinking feeling that Jane's death, one way or another, at the age of sixteen was one of them. Of course there was a tremendous difference between knowing about fixed points in time and being confronted with one you desperately wanted to change.

Rose took a chair from the side of the room and pulled it over in front of the fire, hanging her trench coat over the back of it. She sat down and starred into the fire for a few minutes before she stood and pulled another chair over for Jane. Rose shifted the small round table where the dagger waited between the two chairs and within easy reach.

Footsteps at the door made Rose turn towards it. Jane stood at the threshold wearing a white gown that was heavily embodied with a grey-ish blue bodice. Around her neck was an elegant necklace, a dark sapphire mounted in a round golden setting that hung from a heavy golden chain decorated with more sapphires. Jane hair was piled up on her head with a simple white and gold headdress. She stood from the chair and smiled at Jane.

"How do I look?"

"Very becoming milady," Rose told her with a smile even as Jane's eyes took in her own new appearance. "How do I look?"

"Different," Jane said slowly before she smiled, "But it suits you."

Rose motioned for Jane to sit in the waiting chair. The younger girl did so with a smile and turned her attention fully on Rose.

"You said something odd earlier," Jane said once Rose was seated again. "About being sent here?"

"Yes I did," Rose agreed as she looked over at Jane. "I was sent here on a mission."

"On a mission to save me?" Jane questioned with a slight tilt of her head.

"I wish I could really save you," Rose said softly. "Not just from Matilda, but from all of this. From what's to come, but I can't." Rose shook her head and swallowed.

Jane reached over and touched Rose's hand which was on the armrest of her own chair drawing Rose's eyes back to her. "We each have a path that we must tread and this is mine. I hope that I will be remembered even though I was Queen just nine days."

"Of course you're remembered," Rose said gently with small smile. "You'll be remembered for hundreds of years to come."

"You say that with such strange certainty Lady Rose," Jane observed with a small suspicious smile as she studied Rose.

"I am certain," Rose replied with a secretive smile. "You'll not be forgotten. That is the truth."

Jane's eyes searched Rose's face in silence and Rose met the gaze calmly. "How is it that you seem so wise?" Jane questioned. "Is there something you're not telling me?" Jane paused and seemed to consider her next question for a moment as Rose looked into the fire. "Are you truly of this world?"

Rose chuckled and turned back to Jane with a small smile. "Of course I am Jane."

She got the feeling that Jane did not believe her. Jane shook her head before saying, "Whoever you are and wherever you are from I am grateful that you came. I would not wish to spend these last hours of freedom with anyone else."

Rose smiled in response to the sentiment and they stared at each other in a peaceful moment before Jane turned and picked up the box that Rose had given her only hours before. Jane opened it and pulled out the necklace that Rose had presented her with. It was simpler than the one Jane was wearing with a larger and lighter blue stone and a pearl chain.

"I think this goes better with my dress," Jane observed with a smile. "Will you help me?"

Rose stood from her chair and moved behind Jane to undo the latch of the choker. Taking the pearl necklace from Jane, Rose set aside the necklace and gently placed the pearl necklace around Jane's neck and fastened in the back.

"Thank you," Jane said as she touched the blue stone with a smile. "I have a fondness for pearls."

"Then this one is better suited," Rose said with a smile before she moved to retake her seat.

Jane caught her hand to stop her before she picked up the elegant sapphire necklace that Rose had set aside. Jane smiled up at Rose and said, "I would like you to have this."

"Jane," Rose gasped as she looked at the elegant necklace. "You don't have to do that."

"I wish to," Jane said warmly. "All but you and Ellen have deserted me. It is strange that in my last hours I would meet such a friend. I accepted a necklace from you and want you to have one from me."

Rose swallowed and took the necklace from Jane's hand. She studied it and frowned at the small clasp at the back of the sapphire pendant. "What's this?"

"It detaches," Jane said with a laugh. "You can wear it on a different chair or as a brooch that way."

"Oh," Rose said as she sat down in her chair and fastened the necklace around her neck. It was heavy, but strangely comforting even if it probably looked extremely odd with her blue jeans and black long sleeved scoop neck. "Thank you Jane."

"Promise me that you will leave soon," Jane said. "It is too dangerous for you to remain."

"I said I'd stay by your side," Rose replied. "I meant it."

"They will arrest you too," Jane insisted.

"You don't need to worry about me," Rose said with small smile. "I can look after myself."

"With your sword?" Jane asked curiously. "That weapon just appeared in your hand."

Rose was spared from having to reply by Ellen entering the room. Jane looked over at her old nurse in fear and rose to her feet. The Lady Jane and her nurse stared at each other for a moment later before Ellen managed to speak.

"I'm so sorry Jane," Ellen said. "Queen Mary has ordered that you be taken to the keep to await trial." Ellen was holding back tears as she added, "You must come now."

Jane's eyes were damp, but she managed a small smile for Ellen. "Do not fret Ellen. I've done my living and I am ready for something far more important." Rose stared at the girl. "I may go to my death," Jane said as she took Rose's hand and looked at her. "But it will not be in vain." Jane took a deep breath. "Tell me again I am not forgotten."

"I promise you," Rose managed to say as she held back her tears. "Not by your people, not by history and never by me." Rose said as squeezed the girl's hand.

"Goodbye Rose, my friend. It is time for me to leave you now."

"And for me to leave you," Rose whispered. "Goodbye Jane," Rose said before she leaned forward and kissed Jane's forehead.

Jane nodded to Rose and moved away to join Ellen who took her hands with a sad smile. Rose watched them for a moment before she pulled on her coat and put her hat back on. Looking over at Jane, Rose managed a smile and picked up the dagger. She met Jane's eyes as the time window activated and she vanished from the Nine Days Queen's sight in a flash of white light.

"Tis witchcraft," Ellen gasped, but Jane smiled.

"Lady Rose is not of this world, but she is no witch Ellen," Jane said with a knowing smile. "She is an angel. I suspected as much." Jane's smile softened. "And as angels speak only the truth I know I do not die in vain."

Ellen smiled and touched Jane's shoulder as the teenager straightened up, a look of determination and great dignity on her face. Jane nodded to herself and gently touched the necklace around her neck before she turned to the doorway and left the reception for the last time.


	4. Mission in Time: Fight Them on the Beach

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Four: Fight Them on the Beaches

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: Thank you all so much for the insightful reviews. Interestingly I've gotten some interesting remarks on the necklace that Rose gave Jane regarding carbon dating. Now originally I had a remark about that in the story, but took it out as the more I thought about it the more I believed that Rose wouldn't really be aware of carbon dating to the same level that I am since I studied history and archeology (yes point and laugh). Now the pearls could be dated as very old, but that would not prove the age of Jane's necklace as a whole so I'm letting it stand. This discussion was really awesome, it is so flattering that you lot pay such close attention to the details. Once again I urge you all to watch the SJA adventures where I got this episode from, there are some real gems in it. I changed a lot more of this section since I felt it was a bit weak.

Rose forced herself from the fog that filled her mind, there was something she was supposed to do. Shifting her body finished the job of waking her up as Rose realized that she was definitely not at home and was instead on the ground somewhere. Her eyes snapped open and she found herself staring up at the blue sky. She sat up slowly, taking stock of her body and waiting for any pain. There was none and Rose looked down at her hand where she was gripping a shining silver dagger. Everything snapped back into place: the White Guardian, the chronosteel and… Jane. Swallowing thickly, Rose climbed to her feet and carefully slipped the dagger into the left pocket of her leather jacket as she looked around.

She was surrounded by tall thick bushes and small trees. There were rolling hills around her and Rose distantly recognized the smell of the ocean. An idea occurred to her and Rose pulled out her mobile phone and switched it back on. She resisted the urge to call the Doctor and instead looked at the date on the phone, curious as to if the Doctor's upgrades synched it with the current date. Rose raised an eyebrow at the date: 7 June 1941.

"Right," Rose said as she tucked her phone away. "World War II, figures."

Looking around for any signs of civilization, Rose sighed when she didn't see any houses or other buildings. She turned in the direction of the sea breeze and sound of the waves and started walking. Rose was soon out of the trees and bushes and into a field of tall grass that allowed her to see the water in the distance.

"Psst!" A sudden noise said to her right. Rose turned and looked around, but didn't see anyone. "Psst!" Her eyes caught movement in the grass a few feet away and she could see a touch of white clothing hidden by the grass.

The face of a teenaged boy with dark brown hair popped up behind a clump of grass and said, "Quick or they'll see you. Get down."

Deciding not to argue, Rose crouched to the ground and crept forward to join the boy on a sand dune. He was wearing cloth shorts with a long sleeved shirt with rolled up sleeves and sweater vest. He nodded to her as she joined him and picked up a pair of binoculars which he turned towards the beach. Rose was silent for a moment as she studied the boy, she wasn't certain that he was English since she had her translator, but the clothing, the year and the sea made her think there was a very high chance of it. The kid looked like he had stepped out of the photos in her old history book.

"I'm Rose," she said softly. "And you?"

"I'm George," the boy replied lowing his binoculars to look at her. "George Woods." He raised his binoculars again to look out towards the sea.

Rose turned to look in the same direction and in the distance could see a small boat and three figures pulling it to shore. "What's going on?" Rose questioned in a low voice.

"Germans," George replied. "I'm sure of it."

"When you say Germans you actually mean Nazis?" Rose whispered in a stunned voice. She squinted at the figures, but couldn't make out any details. 'Let me have a look George."

The teenager handed her the binoculars and Rose peered through them. "Nothing distinct," Rose said. "They could be ours George," she added as the men drug their raft onto the beach. Then the men opened their long coats revealing their uniforms, even with as bad at history as Rose was she recognized them. "I can see their uniforms now, you're right."

"They must have come in on an U-boat," George said lowly. "An invasion."

"We shall fight them on the beaches," Rose quoted from a distant memory as George took the binoculars. "Who can we warn?" Rose questioned as she pulled her red cap off and shoved it into the pocket of her coat.

"The home guard of course," George answered. "My village is nearby."

"That's good news," Rose said as George climbed to his feet.

Rose joined him and they remained low to the ground until they were sure they were out of sight. Then George took off in a quick run and Rose rushed after him, glancing over her shoulder as they raced through a field. Up ahead she could see a steeple and a stone wall. George didn't bother with the gate and jumped over the stone wall and into the cemetery when they reached it. Rose couldn't quiet help but smile at the boys as she vaulted over the wall. They burst into the church and George finally stopped and took a large breath, gasping for air.

"Where's the phone George?" Rose questioned.

"This way," George managed as he tried to catch his breath. He rushed to the front of the church and pulled aside a curtain to reveal a large phone built into the wall. Rose stayed back, gaping at the odd thing with the strange hand crank. George didn't hesitate and picked up the headset and turned the crank.

"Operator?" George said. "Hello operator?" Then he tapped the phone twice before putting down the headset. He turned quickly to Rose with a look of shock. "It's dead! It's completely dead."

"Is there another way of contacting them?" Rose questioned, even as her hand slipped into her pocket to her mobile.

"I remember Mister Port saying something about ringing the church bell, but that was only in a real emergency."

"That's what this is," Rose hissed as she looked out the window. The three men were at the church yard gate. Her eyes darted around the church and landed on a door at the side of the hall. She grabbed George's hand and pulled him through the church and into the sacristy. It was cramped with only one very high window and curtains hanging on the wall along with the vestments. They were able to close the door almost completely shut just before the three men entered the church hall.

Rose pushed George away from the door and knelt near the open crack to listen. She gave a quite thank you for her translator as she caught a few of the men's words as they unpacked their weapons from long bags and gently took a case to the front altar. They were talking about early warning systems and the location of the village. Rose reached back and snatched the binoculars out of George's hand. The angle was awkward so she could only use one side of the binoculars to peer through the crack.

"Our victory is at hand," the leader of the men said. Rose wasn't certain of Nazi insignia, but she thought he was a colonel while the others were clearly foot soldiers. "Open the case." One of the men stepped forward and opened the large case revealing a system of wires and coils. Rose wasn't sure, but it looked like it could be some kind of transmitted.

The colonel moved to their supplied and gently pulled out another large case which he brought to the altar. Rose shifted slightly, trying to better see what was happening. The colonel carefully lifted a large object out of the case and held it with near reverence. Rose couldn't see anything until he turned to face the footsoldiers. The object was completely made of metal, a silvery metal that glowed and pulsed to Rose's vision and looked similar to a hammer.

"Thor's hammer," the colonel said. "All of its power in the service of the Fatherland."

"That's it," Rose said softly to herself. "The object in this time."

"What's happening?" George whispered behind her.

"They said something about early warning systems and have some kind of transmitter," Rose whispered, unsure of what else to say.

"How do you know that?"

"I speak German," Rose replied with a shrug as she watched the colonel place the hammer into the case with the transmitter. A dull hum became to echo in the church hall.

"George is there another way out of here?" Rose asked as she crept back from the door. "We have to get help."

They climbed to their feet and Rose turned to see George moving to a curtain at the side of the room. "This leads outside through a shed," he answered.

George pulled the green curtains apart quickly, but the metal rings of the curtain caught on the rail and created a horribly loud crash. In the church hall Rose heard the colonel shouting to the soldiers to investigate.

"I think they heard that," Rose muttered as George looked at her in horror. "Hurry George!"

The boy opened and pulled open a half sized doorway in the wall.

"Rose quick!" George said as he ducked through the door and into the storage shed.

Rose glanced over her shoulder as one of the soldiers burst into the room, but dove into the shed and slammed the door. George grabbed her hand and helped her through the shed and out the exterior door. Once they were outside George twisted the handle, jamming the door behind them.

"This way!" George shouted as he rushed across the cemetery with Rose following. Behind her Rose could hear shouting and banging as the Nazi's tried to break down the shed door. She vaulted over the wall again and stayed low just as a machine gun was fired behind them. Taking a quick breath, Rose glanced at George to see that the boy was pale.

"Which way?" Rose hissed to draw the teenager's attention.

"The village is this way," George said with a quick nod. "Stay low."

"I doubt they'll follow us," Rose said as she obeyed George's order. "But let's hurry anyway."

They kept running until George led them to a path through the shrubs and bushes.

"I need to get that hammer!" Rose said to George.

"You can get it when the home guard deals with the gerries!"

They rushed around a corner and Rose jumped to the side as a woman on a bicycle nearly collided with George. Her brown hair was twisted into an odd style that Rose hadn't seen in her own time and she was dressed in a neatly pressed brown skirt and vest with a yellow blouse. At the front of her old fashioned bike was a wicker basket with several parcels staked in it.

The woman gasped and skid to a halt, "Young man look where you are going." She took a breath and calmed enough to see who it was that had nearly collided with her. "George?"

"I'm glad to see you miss," George said as he tried to catch his breath. The woman's eyes shifted over to Rose, confusion clear in her eyes. "Three Germans," George gasped which immediately drew the woman's attention back to him. "At the church."

"Who's this?" Rose asked as she studied the woman in front of her.

"Miss Wyckham my school teacher," George answered quickly. "We were able to hide at the front of the church, but they know we were there now. We've got to inform the home guard."

"They've been captured too," Miss Wyckham said urgently. "And the whole of Little Molding."

"Everyone in the village?" Rose questioned. "How many Germans are there?"

"Dozens," Miss Wyckham informed her. "The place is surrounded, but I managed to slip through. We can't go anywhere near the village."

"Then what now?" George asked.

"We have no choice but to go to St. Michael's," Miss Wyckham said. "Right now we're the only chance of stopping whatever the Germans have planned there. They clearly didn't want anyone in the village around the church."

"She's right," Rose said to George. "We have to stop the Nazis from using that transmitter of theirs."

"But they're all armed!" George protested.

"Yes George," Miss Wyckham said with a small smile as she picked up one of the parcels in her basket. "And so are we." A revolver was sitting innocently at the bottom of the basket.

Rose's eyes went to the teacher's face trying to find a clue as to what was going on. Something didn't match up here. If her home had been surrounded by the enemy her first instinct upon finding others would have been to tell them, not scold them for not watching where they were going. It also bothered Rose that the woman was using a bicycle and staying on the main road if she knew that there was a large force of Germans about.

"Maybe one of use should head back towards the village, see if they can find any opening," Rose suggested.

"Absolutely not," Miss Wyckham protested. "They'd shoot any of us on sight. We need to stay together."

"Right then," George said with a nod. "Better leave the bike Miss."

Miss Wyckham nodded and leaned the bike against the stone wall that lined the road. She took out the revolver and held it tightly in her grasp, a bit more familiar with it then Rose would have expected a school teacher in a small coastal village to be, but George didn't seem alarmed. They moved quickly through the fields with Miss Wyckham leading the way and Rose trying to come up with some kind of plan.

"Who are you anyway?" Miss Wyckham suddenly asked, glancing over her shoulder at Rose.

"This is Rose," George answered.

"I've never seen you around before," Miss Wyckham said. She looked at George. "Are you sure she isn't a Nazi spy?"

"She helped me," George said even as he stopped suddenly.

"None the less," Miss Wyckham said. "We don't know her. Where did you meet her?"

"Near the beach," George said slowly. "Near where I first spotted the Nazis."

"I'm not a Nazi," Rose hissed. "I'm a Londoner and I got a bit lost, that's all."

Miss Wychkam turned the gun towards Rose with a severe frown. "She's a spy George, it's the only explanation that makes sense. We can't risk an enemy at our backs if we are going to stop the Nazis. She may have helped you to escape simply as a diversion to give her fellow Nazis more time." Rose glared at the woman who stepped closer to her with a small smirk. "We can't have her helping the Germans."

"We can't shoot her without a trial," George said firmly.

"Then we'll tie her up," Miss Wyckman said. "Have any twine or rope George?"

George dug into his pocket and pulled out a long length of rope that his penknife was tied to. He freed his knife and slipped it back into his pocket before stepping forward with the rope.

"Don't resist," Miss Wyckman told Rose. "George tie her to a tree, we'll come back for her later."

George glanced at Rose's face and she nodded calmly to him, keeping her wrists still while he bound the hands. He walked her over a small nearby tree and used the remaining rope to tie her wrists against the tree. Rose shifted her wrist during the process just enough to keep her bracelet in a position to summon her sword once Wyckham was gone.

"George," she whispered to him. "Be careful, your teacher is a german plant."

"She's been here for months," George said with a shake of his head. "You're the suscipious one."

"I'll forgive you for that statement since its true," Rose said as she tugged on the restraints. "Good job."

"Just stay here," George said. "The home guard will decide what to do with you later."

George rejoined Miss Wyckham who said something to him in a low voice. George nodded and started walking towards the church as Wyckham turned back to Rose and smirked. She moved closer to Rose.

"British Intelligence?" Miss Wyckham questioned.

"German spy?" Rose countered before she glanced at George. "You hurt that boy and I will kill you," she hissed.

Miss Wyckham smirked and raised the gun. "I could easily kill you right now."

"And risk George and the home guard hearing the shot. We're not that close to the church yet." Rose chuckled, "You were on your way to meet them weren't you."

"This will all be over soon," Wyckham said. "Our transmitter will knock out all the early warning systems and the glorious German Fleet will sweep across England with no resistance."

"Don't count on it bitch," Rose snapped.

Wyckham glared at her, but George called out in the distance for her to hurry. Wyckham huffed and turned on her heel to follow George towards the church. Rose watched them depart until their figures became fuzzy in the distance. She twisted her wrist slightly and summoned forth her sword. There was a satisfying slicing noise just before the ropes fell away from her wrist. Rose returned her sword to its bracelet form and started after George and Wyckhman, rubbing her wrists.

Rose reached the church only a few minutes after George and Wyckham, probably due to the benefits of not wearing heels. She carefully looked over the church yard wall in time to see Wyckham enter the church with the gun. George rushed in after her a moment later before Rose could shout out a warning. Growling her herself, Rose vaulted over the wall and rushed towards the church. She crouched beneath a window and carefully peered inside. Wyckham was standing with Nazi colonel with a horrible smug look and pointing the gun at a stunned George.

Rose glanced at the main entrance and then shook her head. Turning to the right, Rose carefully followed the church wall until she came to small shed that she and George had escaped through. The Germans had relocked it, but Rose opened it quickly with her sonic pen and slipped inside as quietly as she could. Once inside the sacristy, Rose crawled closer to the door which the Germans had left wide open. Rose pressed herself against the same wall as the door so she was out of sight and listened.

"Koenig you had one thing to do!" Wyckham hissed, probably to the colonel, "How could you let them slip through your fingers. You're lucky that I intercepted them and was able to tie up the British Intelligence agent in the area!"

"You were lying about everything! The home guard and the village being taken," George said suddenly. "You were the spy all along not Rose."

"Yes and within the hour the German invasion will be underway," Wyckham said, her voice moving further away from Rose.

"Invasion?" George asked stunned. "But-"

"I wasn't posted to this dreary village at random. Little Molding's coastline is dotted with early morning radar, they have proved irritatingly successful at alerting the enemy to our aircraft and ships."

"If we can render the entire system useless with our transmitter," Colonel Koenig's voice said from the same area.

Rose rolled to the side and glanced out into the main hall carefully. The guards were further down the hall, guarding the main door and the colonel and Wyckham both had their backs to her and the transmitter. Creeping forward, Rose kept her eyes on the armed Germans and stepped out into the hall. George's eyes caught hers for only half a moment before he caught on and returned his focus to the colonel.

"So that device can block our radar?" George asked with side eyes.

Rose made it to the altar and ducked behind it just as Wyckham answered. "Right now the German Fleet is preparing to depart harbors all along the Dutch and Belgium coast."

"And your so called British Intelligence will not know until it is far too late."

"I know," George said. "And Rose knows."

"Ah yes the British Intelligence agent that you personally tied to a tree," Wyckham said with a laugh. "Such a patriotic lad."

Rose knew that all she had to do was grab the chronosteel hammer and she had nothing between herself and it. The chronosteel would take her to the next point in time and end the Nazi's plans, but she couldn't. She peeked around the altar at George who was pale, but standing up to the Nazi's as bravely as he could. Rose swallowed and steeled herself. She wasn't going to risk George dying like Jane, she couldn't save Jane, but she wasn't going to leave this boy to be shot by vengeful Nazi's.

Rose pulled her cap out of her pocket and carefully reached up to the transmitter. The chronsteel was now glowing brightly and humming in the device. Using one hand, wrapped in the cap to prevent skin contact to the chronsteel Rose pulled it from the transmitter. With her other hand she pulled out her mobile phone.

The transmitter stopped humming in less than a thirty second and Koenig spun to face Rose, raising his gun. Rose slipped the chronosteel into her pocket with the dagger, dreading the stretching to her poor coat and stepped behind the transmitter.

"Careful colonel," Rose said. "I can smash this just by pushing it off the altar." Rose smirked, "That is if you don't hit it yourself."

Wyckham, Koenig and the soldiers rushed towards her and Rose held up her phone. She pressed one of the buttons and one of the silly electronic songs that came with it started to play. The Nazi's all stepped back in alarm.

"What is that?" Koenig demanded.

"A bomb," Rose replied calmly as she saw George slip away from the Nazi's and move towards the back of the church. "A small bomb, but powerful enough to take out all of us."

"You're bluffing," Koenig said, "It can't be."

"Oh," Rose said raising an eyebrow, "You built this transmitter so are you really so sure that we can't build a small bomb." George opened a door at the back of the church and went inside another room, closing the door behind him.

"You can't stop us," Koenig said, taking a threatening step back until Rose moved her phone closer to the transmitter.

"I've taken on worse than you," Rose said. "I've fought monsters, gods and planet destroyers. You lot disgust me to be sure, but in the end you're just bullies. We are British and we will fight you until the end. It will cost lives, a lot of lives, but we'll crush you."

The beautiful ring of the church bells suddenly begun, echoing in the main hall and Rose smiled. "That's summoning the home guard," Rose told the Nazi's with a smile. "You've lost this battle and you'll lose the war. I've seen it."

Koenig raised his gun towards Rose who glared at him. "The home guard is coming Koenig, if you have any chance of getting back to Germany and not rotting in a prison here then you'd best be off." Rose turned to Wyckham,"Or being executed as a traitor." Rose smirked, "Run."

The ringing of the bell continued and Wyckham grabbed Koenig's arm. "It's over, come on!"

Koenig growled and Rose ducked just before he fired the gun. The bullet hit the transmitter which sparked and caught fire. Rose stayed behind the altar as she listened to the rapid footfalls of the Nazis as they fled the church. After a moment Rose stood up and glanced down at the transmitter and turned off her phone. It was probably for the best that this piece of technology didn't survive. Walking to the window, Rose smiled at the backs of the running Nazis before she rushed over to the door that George had vanished into.

Knocking on the door, Rose shouted, "You can come out now George, they've gone."

George stepped out of the back room where Rose could see the bell rope behind him with a smile. "I'm sorry about earlier," he apologized.

"Actually it worked out alright," Rose said with a smile. "I had a bad feeling about Wyckham from the start and wanted to find a way to separate from her before returning to the church. In her arrogance she figured I wasn't a problem anymore." Rose looked back at the window. "I hope they don't get away after all of this."

"The home guard will catch them," George said confidently. "You can bet your life on that." George nodded in satisfaction. "We'll stop them, stop them all. I'm going to sign up myself."

"No!" Rose hissed as she started to pull the hammer out again, still using the cap. "I don't want you to fight. It's dangerous." Rose turned towards George trying not to think about that he was the same age as Jane and trying not to think about the death toll of World War II, but she couldn't help it. "Don't fight in this one George," she said simply. "I've already lost one friend to a war and I don't want to find out that you died too."

George was quiet for a moment as Rose stalked up to the altar and set the hammer down before putting her cap back on.

"I know how dangerous this war is. My father was lost to it, my mother is working in a factory in London and I've been evacuated from the only home I've ever known." George's voice hitched, but he didn't stop. "I know that some things are worth fighting for and some causes are worth the risk of dying." George met Rose's eyes and added, "I bet your friend knew that too."

Rose was silent for a moment before she nodded with a sad smile on her face. "Yes she did," Rose agreed softly. She looked back at George and walked back over to him. Placing a hand on his shoulder, Rose met his eyes and said, "Some things are worth dying for, but the best things are worth living for so please be careful."

"I promise," George said with a nod.

"Good," Rose said with a nod. "Good lad. Now keep the door locked just in case and wait for the home guard."

"Where are you going?" George asked.

"Onwards," Rose said with a small laugh, "Whenever and wherever that is." Rose reached out and picked up the metal hammer. "I can't really explain, but remember that you promised me that you'd be careful."

The hammer glowed brightly in Rose's hand for a moment before activating. Rose gave a small wave to George before vanishing in a burst of white light.

"Well stun me," George said as he gaped in shock at the spot that Rose has stood. "British Intelligence indeed."


	5. Mission in Time: First Encounters

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Five: First Encounters

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: Sorry this is late. I suffered a bit of writer's block when trying to connect my plot dots and then couldn't get the flow of the chapter to work properly. Anyway here is the update and I'll do my best to get back on schedule for this weekend's update. This section of the episode is completely original and I hope that you like it.

Either she was getting used to travel by time window or the closer she got to her home time the easier it got because Rose not only managed to stay conscious this time, but only fell to her knees. She took in a long shaky breath and forced herself to shake off a cold feeling that clung to her. It occurred to her for the first time that she was traveling through the Time Vortex without a capsule. The Doctor had remarked about it when he took her to the past and said it was unpleasant, he had been understating it.

Rose raised her head and looked around. She was in a field with tall brush surrounding her. The weather was cool and it was probably spring based on the green she could see starting to creep into the vegetation. Sitting up further, Rose peered over the grass and saw a collection of buildings about half a mile away. There was a narrow paved road a few feet from here leading towards the village. Rose glanced around and noted that otherwise it was just farmhouses and empty countryside. Ducking back down, Rose pulled out her mobile and glanced quickly at the date. She had time to read 13 June 197 before a loud crash up ahead distracted her from the mobile. Snapping the phone shut, Rose shoved it back into her pocket and checked the dagger and hammer in her pocket. Creeping towards the road, Rose peered over the brush every few seconds trying to see what the source of the noise was. So far she could see a group of jeeps and people in what she thought might be uniforms again. Rose really hoped she wasn't stuck in another war zone.

Then another truck rushed by with an insignia that Rose did recognize: UNIT. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Rose wasn't aware of how many ways Earth's history could be changed by altering events in UNIT's history, but she didn't like the idea and even more so she didn't like the idea of changing her personal history by running into the wrong person. Rose crept forward letting her eyes track the moving vehicles until she came to the backside of one of the houses. Carefully, she looked through the window to glimpse into a small bedroom. Judging from the light pink duvet and the doll on the floor it belonged to a child, but it was also empty.

The window was locked so Rose pulled out the sonic pen and opened the lock quickly. She leapt into the house as quickly and quietly as she could and slid the window closed again, but did not lock it. She pulled the curtains shut and gave her eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness. Once she was sure of her ability to walk without causing a crash, Rose went to the door of the room and listened for a moment. Hearing nothing, Rose pushed the door open and peered down the hall of the house. Everything was still so she walked forward towards the front of the house past two more bedrooms.

The living room was small with a comfortable looking sofa and a thick rug, but it wasn't as dated as Rose would have expected. On the far side of the room was a large window that was open a crack with a warm summer breeze entering the house along with the sounds of voice and moving vehicles. Rose ducked behind the sofa for a moment before she crawled to the window on her hands and knees. Rose stayed on her knees, just below the window frame and moved carefully over to where the curtains hung. Pressing her back to the wall, Rose let out a soft breath and strained to hear what was happening outside.

For a few minutes there were only movement, the sound of boots on the stone outside and the sound of orders being given at a distance. Then things calmed down a bit and Rose took a chance and peered out the window while trying to keep herself hidden in the curtain as much as possible. She hoped that if anyone saw the curtain move they'd just attribute it to the open window and wind. At first Rose didn't notice anything special as she looked past the small garden and gate to the village's central area which was down the street. A few UNIT trucks were parked in the center of the village square, right in front of the pub and shop. Soldiers were armed and patrolling the inside of the town. Rose ducked behind the curtain, trying to figure out a way to get closer to the main action rather than be stuck down the street. The problem was that she had no idea what she needed to find yet and her identification would tell UNIT that she wasn't from around here very quickly.

"There is nothing here, your machines must have been mistaken." A familiar male voice said beyond the window.

Rose straightened and peeked outside again to see two male and a short female figure standing at the house's gateway. Rose gasped softly as she studied the three figures since she recognized two of them almost right away. The first man who was closest to the gate had dark brown hair and a moustache, but all of his features otherwise were exactly the same as when Rose had first met Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. Rose smiled to herself, well according to his rank ensign he was still the Brigadier and he was lighter than when she had first met him. Her eyes went to the woman, a young Jo Jones, still Jo Grant, dressed in a very seventies green dress with a dark green jacket. She turned her attention to the final person, but was always certain who he was. This Doctor has curly white hair, looked to be in his fifties and was wearing a cape outfit. He fit Jo's description of the third Doctor perfectly and Rose couldn't contain her smile.

"Brigadier I am not wrong, there is something here."

"We've searched the whole town Doctor," Jo said, her voice much more youthful than the Jo that Rose knew.

"This is something subtle," the Doctor said. "I was repairing part of the TARDIS and it reacted to something in this area."

"Could it be the Master?" the General, no the Brigadier asked the Doctor.

The Doctor frowned and glanced around; Rose ducked behind the curtain, but strained to hear the answer.

"I don't believe so Brigadier," the Doctor answered. "However have your men stay alert because if he finds the same energy spike that I did then he'll come to investigate."

"Just wonderful," the Brigadier huffed. "If you find anything else Doctor tell me immediately."

Rose heard footfalls that faded away quickly and then cautiously looked out the window. Jo was standing near the Doctor while he glanced around at the area.

"Any ideas?" Jo asked the Doctor.

"There is something here Jo with a strange energy signature, something that is out of place and time." The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck for a moment. "And all residents have been evacuated?"

"Yes Doctor," Jo said. "And all insisted that there has been nothing strange lately."

Rose really hoped that the Doctor was referring to the chronosteel and not to her. He'd never mentioned anything like this before, but she supposed that a Time Lord might feel the power of the chronosteel trying to alter history. His presence here also answered her question about why the White Guardian didn't want the Doctor taking this mission or helping her with it. The Doctor turned to Jo and motioned for her to follow him before they started walking towards the center of the town. Rose bit her lip softly as she tried to think of what to do. He'd mentioned repairing the TARDIS so this was probably when he was still in exile which meant that he didn't have the TARDIS here. Hopefully that would keep him from detecting the chronosteel in her pocket.

Then she heard it, the distinctly familiar wheezing sound of the TARDIS very close to her. Rose turned as the wind picked up in the room, but gasped as it was not the familiar blue box that started materializing. Instead it was a large machine of some kind, possibly an old computer. Rose jumped from her spot and rushed back into the hallway, ducking into one of the bedrooms. She kept the door open a small crack and peeked out into the living room as the TARDIS finished materializing.

Rose forced herself to stay completely still as the door of the TARDIS opened and a strange man stepped out. He was an older gentlemen with an air of importance about him. His hair was greying black and slicked back and his beard was neatly trimmed. It took Rose only a split second to realize that she was seeing one of the Doctor's fellow Time Lords and his nemesis the Master. She swallowed back a sound of surprise and watched the Master who was dressed in a neat black suit. The Master pulled a small device from his pocket and held it flat in his hand. It beeped and whirled for a moment before the Master smiled. He turned towards the hallway leading to the bedrooms and Rose stepped away from the door. A faint light drew her attention down to the pocket where the chronosteel hammer and dagger were stashed. They were shimmering once again and Rose realized that the Master was detecting them and activating their power somehow. Spinning away from the door, Rose rushed to the window and pulled it open. She jumped outside and run away from the house, ducking behind a bush in the next garden over. Looking back carefully, she saw the Master leaning out the window and looking around with an irritated look on his face. He vanished from a window a moment later and Rose forced herself to take in a deep breath and think.

She was in the 1970s, still not sure what year exactly with two chronosteel pieces that together seemed to be capable of drawing attention and still had a piece to find if she was going to preserve Earth's timeline. The Doctor was here, but he had no idea who she was and talking to him might be an even greater threat to the time line. Rose glanced around quickly before she left the bush and headed down the street and slipped into a side road. Leaning against the wall, Rose slipped her hand into her pocket and touched the chronosteel objects gently.

"Think Rose," she muttered to herself. "What here could alter the Earth's history?" There were several answers: the Doctor being killed with the chronosteel, regenerating early might alter history or maybe he wouldn't be able to regenerate if killed with the chronosteel. Maybe a member of UNIT like the Brigadier, Jo or Benton was the target since they all had roles in keeping Earth safe in the years to come.

Rose shook her head and straightened back up before she started heading towards the center of town. Maybe the Brigadier could help her and would be willing to keep her a secret from the Doctor, but she couldn't keep hiding around the edges of things. She'd only managed to get the first two pieces of chronosteel by getting into the thick of things. With the Master here maybe she could even convince the Doctor she was on his side without having to bring the White Guardian into it.

She was almost to the main square when the temperature dropped around her. Rose shifted into a defensive stance and looked around carefully. A shudder went through her body like someone walking over her grave. Everything around her slowed for a moment as a being appeared in front of her.

The being had a humanoid form and was a bit taller than herself, but its face was hidden by a low and wide black hood. The being wore a long black hooded robe and gloves, covering his entire body apart from his face. The only feature Rose could see was a mouth of sharp teeth that were almost like a shark's. It reminded Rose of the ghost of Christmas Future from the Christmas Carol.

"Rose Tyler," the strange creature said in a strangely smooth voice that seemed to echo. "At last we meet."

"Who are you?" Rose questioned as she straightened up, but kept her body tense and ready to react.

"Nobody. I am nothing," the being replied.

"Any chance you could be less cryptic?" Rose asked with a raised eyebrow. "I've got quite enough of that already in my life."

"It is difficult to make you understand," the being replied and Rose noticed that its image was shimmering around the edge like he wasn't fully corporeal. "Ephemeral minds are so limited." The being raised its hands to pull back its hood. Above its mouth the face was featureless with only darker spots where its eyes should be and only a fleshy bump for a nose.

"As you can see I have no self," the being replied. "I exist only as a shade in your world Rose Tyler. Fueled by my purpose only."

"What do you want with me then shade?" Rose questioned.

"I want you to stop playing the Guardians' game," the being replied calmly. "I want to set you free Rose Tyler. I want to undo what they did to change your life."

"And let me guess," Rose quipped trying to hide her nervousness. "All it will cost is my soul."

The being chuckled and shook its head. "Nothing so dramatic Rose Tyler," it replied. "My quarrel is with the Guardians and not you. By helping you I prevent them from reaching their endgame, at least for a time."

Rose swallowed and glanced over her shoulder. "I'm not interested," she replied as she turned to walk away.

"A normal childhood," the being said behind her. "No manipulations from the Guardians that put Spellman in your path when you were so young. That is what I can give you." The being smiled as Rose looked back at it curiously. "You will instead grow up a normal girl and meet the Doctor when you are nineteen. You will travel with him in the TARDIS and be happy just as you were always meant to be." The shade shimmered as it floated towards her. "No Pied Piper, no Mona Lisa, no Apep, just a peaceful life without fear until you leave Earth with the Doctor."

"But if I'm not there-" Rose started to say.

"I will turn the threats back," the being said. "Give me your agreement and I will have the power to turn back the alien threats from Earth." The being moved closer to her, "No families will suffer when the Pied Piper comes for their children, no one will die in the earthquakes caused by the Xylok, no cities will suffer damage and the Gorgon's Circle will be quietly destroyed without any deaths." The being added, "I'll even see to it that Sarah Jane does meet the Doctor again and rescues Luke to form her family. You don't owe the Guardians any loyalty," the being hissed to her. "Give me your agreement and I will release you back into the life you were supposed to live in the first place. A normal girl until the age of nineteen and then a time traveler in the TARDIS, a heroine of the universe by the Doctor's side."

Rose swallowed, frozen to the spot. She should have been able to say no right away, but the old doubts and fears were nagging at her. "You're the Trickster aren't you?" Rose asked the being. "The Guardian said that you seek to create chaos and would rip the universe apart if you had the chance."

"The Guardians see what they wish to see," the Trickster replied. "Absolute power corrupts absolutely and they sit in absolute power over the universe." The Trickster chuckled. "I need your agreement to impact your life Miss Tyler, but they have unleashed monster after monster upon you without any warning or question so which of us is truly acting with respect for Free Will?"

Rose stepped away from the Trickster again and shook her head. "You're twisting things, I can see that Trickster."

"I am offering you back the life that was taken from you Rose Tyler," the Trickster said. "The Guardians determined how to manipulate you because they studied you in other lives, in alternate realities to decide when and how to move their move. I am just undoing that abuse of power and setting you free. You will still have your precious Doctor, but will not have to worry about what the Guardians are going to do to you next time you see them."

Rose's mind brought forth every memory she had of the Guardians: being watched by the Black Guardian and finding out that he put Spellman in her path, the White Guardian and the Shopkeeper using Sarah Jane to teach her a lesson and the Doctor's distrust of the Guardians. At the same time however she also remembered a question that the White Guardian had asked her during that hard Christmas.

"If you had the chance to undo our influence on your life would you?" he had asked her and Rose hadn't been able to answer then. All she had known was that she didn't want to lose the Doctor and the Trickster was promising her that.

But she couldn't help but think of another promise, one that she had made to the Doctor that Christmas Eve.

"The White Guardian asked me if I would undo their influence if I could, but I didn't have an answer because I do like who I am and I like knowing you. You told me time can be rewritten, but I'm giving this to you so you understand that even with days like today I won't. In both of our futures, you'll give this to me and close the loop that it represents. Even after today I still fully intend for that to happen." She had promised him that as she gave him the journal that his Eleventh self would give her. Even if she didn't trust the Guardians completely was she really ready to give up her history with the Doctor even if it was promised that she'd still find her way to him.

"No thanks," Rose heard herself say even before she fully processed it. "Whatever else my life was 'supposed' to be this is my life now and I'll stick with it."

The Trickster didn't seem to react to her statement at first showing no facial movement at all. Then its mouth twisted into a strange little smile. "Very well Rose Tyler," the Trickster replied. "We'll see if you can save Earth's history and your own."

The Trickster vanished and Rose took a small breath and started walking towards the square and UNIT vehicles once again. She was nearly there when a figure stepped out in front of her holding a weapon in his hand. Rose stopped suddenly and looked up into the face of the Master who was smirking as the device in his hand beeped again.

"Greetings my dear," the Master greeted her pleasantly. "I believe you have something that I would very much like to take off your hands."


	6. Mission in Time: Enemy of My Boyfriend

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Six: Enemy of My Boyfriend

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: Yes Classic Master! Roger Delgado is my favorite Master of all of Doctor Who! I'm sorry for another delayed chapter, but I was ill for almost the entire week and then this chapter just didn't want to come together properly. It has been a long time since a story fought me this hard. There is going to be one more chapter for this episode with the Tenth Doctor showing up to wrap up a few things.

"Greetings my dear," the Master greeted her pleasantly. "I believe you have something that I would very much like to take off your hands."

The words that went through Rose's head weren't particularly articulate as she gaped at the weapon and the Time Lord before her. After the tense run in with the Trickster she didn't feel prepared to face off against the Master that so many of her companion friends feared. Rose took a step back from the Master instinctively, but kept herself from summoning her sword.

"Who are you?" Rose asked letting her fear creep into her voice. Her eyes dropped from the Master's face to the weapon that he held. Rose wondered if it was the weapon that killed and shrunk people that Tegan had told her about. "What do you want?"

"You have something on you my dear," the Master replied with a cold courtesy. "Empty your pockets." His eyes darted down to the bulging pocket of Rose's coat where the hammer and dagger were shoved away. "Give it to me and no harm will come to you."

Rose took another step back as the Master studied her carefully. "Who are you?" Rose repeated.

"I am the Master," he answered even as he frowned slightly at you. "Who are you?" He demanded sharply.

Rose jumped back at the sharp tone, but the Master's eyes narrowed on her face. Rose had the horrible feeling that he was seeing something she couldn't.

"I'm just a local girl," Rose said softly. "I was out on my bicycle when the evacuation happened. I'm just looking for a soldier to help me find my family."

"There is something different about you," the Master said as he stepped forward, slipping the detector into his pocket. "I was just going to release you, but your timelines are unlike anything I have seen before and worth study. You will come with me." The Master reached for Rose's arm, but as he came into her personal space Rose lifted her knee sharply and rammed it straight into his crotch. Time Lord or not Rose knew from personal experience that they still had certain humanoid parts. The Master grunted in pain and stumbled back, dropping the weapon. Rose snatched up the weapon from the ground before shifting past the Master and running full speed towards the square. Just for good measure, Rose screamed so she'd attract attention as quickly as possible. She rushed into the square to find several soldiers moving towards her with their weapons drawn. Rose raised her hands and looked behind her over her shoulder.

"Put the weapon on the ground," a familiar voice commanded, "Slowly."

Rose's eyes found a much younger John Benton standing with the soldiers and a sergeant insignia on his shoulder. Nodding, Rose carefully set the Master's weapon on the ground before she said, "I was attacked by a strange man. When I hit him I was able to grab that." Rose saw the soldiers tensing up and looking beyond her. "He called himself the Master."

That caused an instant reaction. Benton strode forth and carefully picked up the weapon and examined it for a moment. It looked a lot like a ray gun out of a science fiction movie, which given who the creator who was it could be. Benton turned to one of the soldiers and handed him the weapon.

"Take this to the Doctor immediately," Benton said. He looked at the other soldiers. "Alert the Brigadier that the Master is in the area and prepare patrols to find him."

Rose debated telling Benton where the Master's TARDIS was, but remembered that she wouldn't know what that was. "Excuse me sir," Rose said softly to get Benton's attention. "I saw him come out of a house a few streets down." When Benton gave her an interested look, Rose quickly described the house that the Master's TARDIS had landed in and what street it was on. Benton noted all of her words with brief nods and continued giving orders. It was all Rose could do to keep from smiling at the future Brigadier General.

"What is going on here sir?" Rose questioned. "I came to surprise my family and found them gone."

"Your family?" Benton questioned.

"I've been away at school," Rose said to avoid the question. "And when I got here there were military vehicles and then that strange man showed up." She widened her eyes and did her best to look innocent and scared, she knew Benton well enough to know about his soft touch.

"Calm down Miss," Benton said gently. "Come with me and I'll take you to the center of operations. Someone will evacuate you as soon as possible."

"Thank you," Rose said with a grateful smile as she allowed herself to be led towards the military vehicles that were circled like American West wagons in the town square. She let her eyes move through the scene taking in the soldiers, equipment and keeping a tentative eye out for the Doctor. The Master had verified that Time Lords saw something a little abnormal when looking at her time lines. At least they didn't have Eve's super time sense on a personal level.

"Now Miss can I please have your name," Benton said with a small smile when they reached one of the command vehicles. Rose almost laughed at the sight of one of the soldiers speaking into a massive walky talky with a high antenna.

"I'm Marion Jones," Rose told him quickly, figuring that there was at least one Jones family in the village.

"Alright Miss Jones," Benton said with a nod. "Please wait here, my superior will have some questions for you and then you'll be taken to join your family."

"Sir, why was everyone evacuated in the first place?" Rose questioned. "Is it because of that man?"

"Perhaps," was all Benton said before he motioned for her to sit down at the edge of the town square fountain. "Please stay here, I'll be back in a moment."

Rose shifted nervously as Benton walked off to find the Brigadier. A nearby soldier gave her a small smile before turning his attention back to a radio of some kind. At least she didn't seem to be raising alarm bells with anyone she knew yet. Judging from all the stories she'd heard in UNIT meeting random people was just part of the job so she probably didn't have to worry about anyone remembering her in the future. Except for the Doctor and Master.

Rose couldn't stay still and stood up, peeking around a jeep and back towards the area where she had last seen the Master. Her hand dropped to her pocket and she brushed the edge of the hammer thoughtfully. How was she supposed to find the last piece of chronosteel while in UNIT custody? Rose tightened her grip on the chronosteel hammer in her pocket and turned in a circle trying to see if anything was out the place. The problem was that to her twentieth-first century experiences with UNIT everything here looked out of place.

"Miss Jones," a voice said nearby. Rose realized with a start that she was being called and turned quickly to see Benton standing across the square with the Brigadier and the Doctor. Swallowing, Rose arranger her hat in her pocket to help hide the metal weapons stashed. UNIT very rarely tried to search civilians in her time, but she wasn't going to make it obvious. She walked across the square, already aware that the Doctor's eyes had settled on her and that the Master's weapon was in his hands.

"Yes sergeant?" Rose asked when she reached them.

"Miss Jones I am Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart," the much younger General said to her in his familiar stern tone. "Describe the man you saw."

Rose quickly gave them a description of the Master that had attacked her and she noted the Doctor nodding, but clearly distracted by something.

"That settles it," the Brigadier said with a sharp nod. "Benton alert HQ that the Master is in the area and have them send reinforcements. We'll get him this time."

"Yes sir," Benton said. "And Miss Jones?"

"Miss Grant can stay with her while we organize a new perimeter." The Brigadier turned to Rose, "I'm afraid that we can't move you out until the area is fully secured, but I assure you that you will be quite safe."

Rose started to open her mouth to argue that she couldn't stay with Jo Grant, but realized that it would do no good and only lead to more questions. She would just make sure that she gave Jo no reason to remember her either. Following Benton, Rose noticed the Doctor give her one last long look and managed to give him a small smile. After a moment he returned the smile and gave her a small nod before turning back to the Brigadier. Rose would never admit that her heart gave a jump at getting a smile from another form of her Doctor, not in a million years.

Jo Grant had apparently set up shop in a small pub just off the main square, but she instead had tea waiting instead of alcohol. Rose knew the UNIT boys well enough to know which one they'd honestly prefer, but she knew the regulations well enough. After the day she'd had, a cup of tea sounded absolutely perfect.

"Miss Grant," Benton greeted as Jo entered the main room from a storage room. "This is Miss Jones, she's waiting to be moved out."

"Understood," Jo said with a familiar smile that Rose couldn't help but feel happy at seeing. "Won't you sit down dear," Jo added looking at Rose. "And I'll fix you some tea."

"Thank you Miss Grant," Rose said. "And thank you sergeant."

Benton excused himself to rejoin the soldiers as Jo made Rose a cup of tea. "I'm Jo by the way," she said as she handed the tea to Rose.

"Marion," Rose said after reminding herself not to get too comfortable.

"Well don't worry Marion," Jo said. "Everything is under control and we'll have you back with your family in no time."

"Thank you," Rose said as she took a sip of her tea. "That's very reassuring."

"Oh you needn't worry why just-" Jo was interrupted by a burst of static on her radio.

The small woman frowned and rushed over to the large radio. "Please repeat," she said into the radio. "This is Jo Grant, please repeat." There was only more static and Jo fiddled with the radio for a moment. "Oh bother," Jo said. She glanced over at Rose. "Well you be alright for a few minutes?"

"Yes Miss Grant," Rose said as she glanced around the room. In the corner of her eye she saw movement at one of the windows.

Jo hesitated for a moment but nodded. "I'll be right back. I need to report this."

"I'll be fine," Rose promised.

Jo darted out the door and Rose waited calmly for a few moments before she heard the door open once again. She forced herself to take in a deep breath as someone walked towards her. Rose looked up at the Master calmly and took another sip of her tea, forcing herself to act calmer than she felt as her mind rushed to form a new plan. The Master stepped closer to her, still gripping the tracking device in one hand, but had no weapon.

"My dear," he said in a coldly polite tone. "This is the last time that I shall ask you to give me the items you carry."

Rose felt a little braver than she would have normally in the presence of the Master since he was no longer armed and had suffered a rather embarrassing attack. She set down her teacup and leaned back in the chair.

"Tell me Koschei you're a Time Lord, a renegade, but a Time Lord none the less. Do you wish to see the Web of Time fall apart?" Rose questioned as she did her best to appear calm and in control.

Her words startled the Master who straightened up even more and tensed. His eyes examined her again and he tucked the tracking device into the pocket of his suit coat.

"Now that I have your attention," Rose said, "Let us discuss how pragmatic you're prepared to be." Rose gestured towards the chair that Jo had been sitting in. "The universe is under threat from two being that were exiled from it millennia ago."

"And you're here to stop them I suppose," the Master said as he sat down. "What are you? You cannot be a human."

"Why would you assume that I'm not a human?" Rose questioned with a raised eyebrow as she poured a new cup of tea for the Master, aware of his eyes on her.

"Humans do not know of the Web of Time," the Master said. "And one certainly would not know that I once went by that name." The Master growled the last part.

"I was appointed to the task of retrieving three objects that were placed in Earth's history to change time," Rose said. "These objects have the power to alter the timelines and history of the point in time they are in. They even contain the power to alter fixed points in time." She saw the Master flinch slightly in the corner of her eye. "I have two of the three which is why your little tracking device keeps leading you to me."

Rose pulled out the hammer and dagger to show them to the Master, but quickly tucked them away again before he could reach for them. "The third is still out there and still has the potential to damage the Web of Time."

"You might have mentioned this earlier my dear," the Master said as he added milk and sugar to his tea. It was his turn to seem calm and collected, but Rose didn't like that one bit. "Before rudely attacking me."

"Forgive me," Rose said with a teasing smile. "But I'd just been threatened by one of the beings responsible for this little problem and you had the nerve to point a weapon at me. Besides," Rose glanced out the window. "At the time I was hoping to find the item and finish my mission quickly and quietly."

"Why have you not sought help from the Doctor?" the Master questioned. "He is also a Time Lord and he is so protective of these pathetic humans." The Master paused and added, "I ask again my dear what are you? Eternal?" The Master seemed a bit nervous now, "Guardian?"

"Can you set your device to eliminate the items I currently have and track only the third?" Rose questioned, enjoying the Master's queries.

"Perhaps," the Master said as he set down his tea. "But why would I do such a thing?"

"You are a Time Lord and time is under threat," Rose said simply.

"Ah but I am a renegade my dear," the Master replied with a charming smile. "You are I'm sure aware of that."

"I am aware of that," Rose said as she looked over at him. "I am aware that you are Koschei, you come from the planet Gallifrey and attended Prydon Academy in your youth to become a Time Lord. While at school you were part of a group of renegades known at the Deca including the young Doctor and a another infamous renegade the Rani, then Ushas. Since your departure from Gallifrey you have sought to become the Master of all Matter which is how you selected your new name. You have attempted to conquer many worlds and are now fixated on Earth as it is the location of your old friend the Doctor who was recently exiled by the Time Lords for interference in time and forced to regenerate into his present form." Rose smirked, "How am I doing?"

"That proves nothing," the Master replied shortly.

"Only that I know a great deal about you while you are not even certain what I am," Rose answered. "Perhaps it would be in your favor to simply give aid without string attached and have it be remembered by my … overseer."

The Master's cool expression was twisted in displeasure, but Rose could see a genuine hint of worry in his eyes. Apparently being a renegade Time Lord was still enough to worry about the structure of time coming undone.

"Very well," the Master said as he withdrew the tracking device from his pocket. "I will need to make some adjustments to this first. What exactly are we looking for?"

"It will be metal," Rose explained. "Something simple I expect, but beyond that there is no way to be certain." She watched as the Master pressed a series of buttons and then held the device near here. It made a series of small beeps and the Master nodded.

"That should cancel out the energy trace it is picking up from the items you hold." The Master stood from his seat and held out a hand to Rose. "Shall we my dear?"

Rose accepted his hand while forcing her features to remain blank. "Lead on," she answered as he helped her to her feet. "Just mind the soldiers. I believe you're their most wanted."

The Master looked like he wanted to snap at her for that remark, but his courteous manner silenced whatever he wanted to say. Rose dropped her hand to guard the pocket where the items were hidden away, but also to be ready to summon her sword when needed. She had no doubt that if the Master saw an opening to retrieve all three items he'd take it. Probably to get the energy they created or blackmail her 'overseer' for something he wanted.

His history avoided UNIT quickly became apparent as he easily led her through the village while ducking into the shadows to hide from patrols. Fifteen minutes after leaving the first pub they found themselves in front of another one. Unlike the main square pub that was clean, neat and friendly this one was much dirtier and much less inviting. Rose hadn't thought that such a small village could have a seedy underbelly, but apparently she'd found it.

"Distasteful humans," the Master muttered before he opened the door. He held it open for Rose to step inside first which surprised her more than a little, but this form of the Master seemed to operate on elegant manners and even more elegant plans to take over the universe. She was starting to see why his strange rivalry and near friendship with the Doctor had survived so long and she wasn't entirely sure she liked what it said about her boyfriend.

The pub was dark and empty with glasses and bottles still on the tables from the evacuation order. Judging from the marks on the floor UNIT had dragged out a few of the patrons.

"We're very close," the Master said as he examined his device. "Something that would alter Earth's history in here?" He gave her a doubtful look.

"Maybe not today or tomorrow," Rose said as she walked further into the main room. "But it would have. Of course you and the Doctor detecting the item and coming here to find it may have already altered that."

"How so my dear?" the Master questioned as he moved acround a table.

"Well there are no humans around anymore," Rose said with a shrug. "Because of Time Lords being on Earth so maybe the change has already been stopped. Who knows what it was going to be? Someone accidently being killed, someone making a different decision or someone meeting someone new, who knows?"

The Master shook his head at her and moved behind the bar with his device still raised. "We're too close for me to get a clear signal," he said a moment later.

"Then we search by hand," Rose said as she began looking for the telltale shimmer of the chronosteel.

"If we must," the Master huffed before putting the tracking device back into his pocket.

That was when Rose saw it in the corner of her eye, a flick of strange shimmering light. She turned to see a dartboard hung on the wall with a collection of darts stuck in it. Glancing over her shoulder at the Master who was still examining something at the bar, Rose moved over the dartboard and tried to determine which one of the little metal darts was the right one.

"Find something?" The Master asked, his voice moving closer to her.

"Maybe," Rose said as she tried not to tense up. She reached for the nearest dart and brushed her fingers over the metal, but nothing happened. She tried another one, but once again there was not reaction.

"That's enough," the Master's voice said sharply. "Turn around now." Rose turned slowly and wasn't surprised to see another ray gun like weapon in the Master's hand. "That's better," he said.

"Had time to go back to your TARDIS I see," Rose replied. "Did you move it before UNIT arrived."

"A few roads down," the Master said. "I'll be long gone with all of the items long before they find it."

"Do you honestly think you'll get away with this?" Rose questioned.

"My dear," the Master said. "I assure you that these remarkable artifacts will be in excellent hands and helping to shape the universe."

"Is that what they're calling it now?" Rose asked with a tilt of her head. She raised her right hand to push a strand of loose hair behind her ear.

"Keep your hands up," the Master ordered. "And come over here."

Rose obeyed, keeping her hands high. The Master grabbed one of her hands and pulled her over to him. "Coat off," he hissed.

"Buy me a drink first," Rose said flippantly.

"My dear do not try my patience," the Master said looking right at her. "You will obey me."

Rose felt a push against her mind, but forced the feeling away. "Alright alright," She said as she shrugged out of her coat, grabbing the sonic pen from the pocket as she did so and set it on the table next to them with the chronosteel objects glinting in the light. Before the Master could see, Rose slipped the sonic pen into the pocket of her jeans.

"That's better," the Master said. "Now which dart is it?"

"I don't know," Rose said. "I can't really tell by sight. I have to touch the object to be sure."

The Master gave her a hard and disbelieving look while he kept his weapon pointed at her. Swallowing, Rose remained still while the Master moved towards the dartboard with his eyes moving between her and the darts. Finally he reached the board and started to inspect the darts, trying his focus away from Rose. Keeping an eye on him, Rose reached into her pocket and pulled out the sonic pen. She lifted her hands up to her head again and pushed the button of the sonic pen with it pointed at the bar.

Three glasses exploded on the shelf and Rose slipped the sonic pen into her hair. The Master spun and looked over at the bar in alarm, no longer pointing the weapon at Rose. Lunging forward, Rose summoned her sword and swung it upward. She stopped the blade against the Master's neck, cutting into his skin only the smallest bit, but enough to draw blood and get his attention.

"Drop the gun," Rose ordered. "Quickly."

"Who are you?" the Master demanded as he eyes dropped to the sword in her hand.

"Someone who will use this if she is not obeyed." Rose smirked. "You will obey me. Drop the gun."

The alien weapon to the floor and the Master smirked slightly. "I congratulate you," he said. "You are a very surprising woman. Perhaps we should discuss a future partnership. My intelligence combined with your interesting knowledge and capabilities would make for an interesting team."

"Don't flatter yourself," Rose said. "You're not as intelligent as you like to think." Rose shifted backwards just enough to grab her coat from the table. She didn't bother trying to put it on, but instead clutched it to her chest. "I'm going to move slightly and if you value your current incarnation then you should too."

Rose shifted to the right, moving towards the dartboard and was pleased when the Master did not resist the movement of the blade. Contrary to what she said, Rose wasn't interested in killing the Master. Even if she was a killer, she knew too much of his history to think it could be altered. Her back nearly collided with the wall with the dartboard right next to her. Rose didn't take her eyes off the Master and blindly groped for the darts. Each time nothing happened she dropped it to the wooden floor.

"And what are you going to do with me?" The Master questioned.

"Nothing," Rose answered. "Once I find what I'm looking for I'll depart and you're free to leave."

"Truly," the Master questioned. "Just like that."

"Today's not your day to die," Rose muttered as she reached for another dart. "Even if it should be."

"You wound me my dear," the Master said. "But I give you my congratulations at the success of your mission." The Master chuckled and added, "And the next time we meet I believe I will owe you some blood for that which you have drawn from me."

"I'll doubt we'll meet again," Rose said as her fingers finally found the right dart. "But it we ever do meet again, I'll kick your arse."

She didn't hear the Master's reply as the time window reopened and the bright light surrounded her. Rose felt herself being swept away. She stumbled forward a moment later gasping for breath as her sword retracted to bracelet form. The dart was clutched tightly in her left hand and she tightened her grip further.

"That's it Miss Tyler," the familiar voice of the Shopkeeper said. "Deep breathes."

He moved forward and gently took Rose's right elbow in his hands to help her to her feet. Rose swayed for a moment as she stood up, but the feeling soon passed. The grip on her elbow vanished and the Shopkeeper reappeared in front of her a moment later with a silver tray in his hands.

"The items in you please," the Shopkeeper said.

Rose's vision had cleared enough that she could properly see the Shopkeeper and the White Guardian watching from his chair. She nodded and used her right hand to pull the hammer from her pocket and set it on the tray. The dagger followed a moment later with a soft clang. Then Rose looked down at the dart in her left hand.

"I don't get it," Rose said to the White Guardian as she looked over at him. "How does a dart change the world so much that it threatens the Web of Time. Would it have killed someone or something like that?" Rose glanced down at it, testing the weight. "Maybe the General or the Brigadier?"

"Nothing like that Rose," the White Guardian said with a soft chuckle. "In the hands of a Time Lord with a TARDIS the energy of the chronosteel could be very dangerous. Which is why the Master was looking for it."

Rose blinked and then her eyes widened as she understood what the White Guardian was really saying. "The change in history was going to be the Master getting this piece," Rose realized. "The dart was then and there because the Master was spending so much time on Earth. It was a special delivery for him."

"Which would have given him the ability to completely alter the course of history," the Shopkeeper said with a smile. "Indeed which is why your solution was so amusing. Using him to thwart the plan intended to give him power."

"I needed help finding the damn thing," Rose said as she held it out to the Shopkeeper.

The Shopkeeper merely smiled and took the dart from her, placing it on the tray with the hammer and the dagger.

"You have my thanks Rose Tyler," the White Guardian said. "You performed a great service today and I recognize that it was difficult for you." The White Guardian gave her a soft and surprisingly gentle look. "I wish you the best."

Rose shut her eyes against the bright flash of light that followed these words. When the light cleared and she reopened her eyes she was alone in an empty room with no trace of the shop and items that had filled the place only moments before.

"You're welcome," Rose said as she slipped her hat back on. She turned on her heel towards the door and left the shop, pausing only to lock the door behind her.


	7. Mission in Time: Loose Ends

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Seven: Loose Ends

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: Finally done with the season opener! Man this thing was long! Anyway I'll do my best to write the next episode quickly so we can get to the Christmas special, hopefully I can at least get is started Christmas week. As always thank you for being such awesome reviewers. The next episode should only be four chapters long and if I can manage it then it'll only be three. I'm never writing one episode this long again! In the future I'll do two parters so I can better schedule the time it will take. This is a short chapter so I'll try to get the next one done early in the week.

Rose's apartment felt still and quiet when she returned home. As tired as she was Rose knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep just yet since technically it wasn't even three o'clock yet. Time lag was definitely one of the less glamorous aspects of time travel. For a moment she stood in the middle of her living room at a loss of what to do with herself. Part of her knew that she needed to record her adventure in her diary, but she couldn't bring herself to write about Jane just yet. Rose's hand reached up to her TARDIS key and brushed the heavy Tudor necklace that was tucked underneath her shirt.

Gently Rose pulled off the Tudor necklace and examined it. There could be no doubt that it belonged to a royal. The main sapphire was beautifully cut and mounted on an elegant golden setting. The chain that made up the rest of the necklace was more golden settings with mounted sapphires linked together. Remembering Jane's words about the clasp, Rose sat down at her deck and carefully examined the necklace until she found a small clasp holding the front sapphire to the rest of the necklace. She retrieved a small set of pliers that she used for her work with computers and carefully pulled off the front sapphire.

Rose held the main sapphire in her hand for a moment while she examined the chain she wore her TARDIS key on. With a frown she set down the sapphire and walked to her bedroom. She dug out the small jewelry box that she hardly ever bothered with and found a long gold box chain. Rose returned to her desk and took off her TARDIS key necklace. It took her a moment to make up her mind before she took her old crystal pendent, the TARDIS king and the biodamper ring off of the shorter golden chain and set them on the desk. Taking the sapphire she used her pliers to carefully, but snuggly attach the sapphire to the new chain. Clasping it around her neck, Rose considered the weight of the sapphire that now rested right below her collar bone. Swallowing back a few tears Rose went to work putting the TARDIS key, ring and crystal pendent on the longer chain. When she slipped this one on, the items hung to the middle of her chest. Standing up, Rose went to the loo and looked in the mirror. The sapphire that Jane had worn shone gently around her neck.

"Thank you Jane," Rose said softly before swallowing. "I'm so sorry."

Rose was sure she was going to cry when the familiar wheezing sound began to echo in her apartment. On trained reflex more than anything else she rushed out to the main room and weighted down all the loose papers, catching the few strays that had already been blown away. She turned back to the TARDIS just as she finished materializing and waited. Her brown-eyed Doctor stepped out a moment later and looked over at her. His expression softened instantly and he moved towards her.

"Rose," he said gently before she nearly fell into his arms. "Oh Rose," he said softly. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"You know?" Rose questioned.

"You told me about it once," he answered gently. "Then left me today's date in a message."

Rose nodded absently making a mental note to add that to the apparent list of things she needed to have in place once the Doctor regenerated. He led her over to the sofa and they sat down together. The Doctor brushed some hair out of her face and kissed her lips gently.

"Jane thought you were an angel," the Doctor said a moment later.

"What?" Rose questioned in surprise.

"In my first form I met Jane," the Doctor explained. "Her execution was a fixed point in time so I couldn't do anything, but I tried to comfort her and help her die with courage." The Doctor shook his head, "Anyway one strange thing she said was that she had met an angel and could go to her fate bravely because she knew she didn't die in vain."

Rose stared at him and shook her head a moment later. "I'm no angel," Rose murmured.

"Oh I don't know," the Doctor said. "I'm certainly inclined to agree with her." When Rose didn't respond, the Doctor caught her chin and made her look at him. "Nothing could have changed her fate then Rose, nothing, but you gave her peace after she'd been abandoned by so many. True you couldn't save her life, neither of us could because believe me even as my grouchy self-back then I wanted to, but you saved her spirit enough that she could die with her own self still intact."

Rose didn't know how to respond so she just let the Doctor pull her against him and settled her head on his chest while he wrapped his arms around her. They were quiet for a moment before the Doctor shifted slightly and started talking again. "And George Woods was knighted for helping you stop the Nazis, although I'm certain that your discussion confused British Intelligence for a bit."

"He was knighted?" Rose questioned. "Really? As a boy?"

"Yep," the Doctor said. "And he joined the army at age sixteen and fought in the Battle of Arden. Recently he was honored by the queen for his work in radar development." Rose smiled at that statement. "He's a grandfather who lives with his daughter, a woman named Rose and his son-in-law. Apparently despite being long retired he tinkers with his grandkids' electronics and toys."

"Rose huh," she said. "I must have made an impression."

"I'm sure you did," the Doctor said with a chuckle before he kissed the top of her head. "You usually do."

"I wonder if the Master would think that."

The Doctor chuckled, "Oh I have no doubt that he remembered you for some time. Of course it never came up with me since he didn't know that we were acquainted."

"Is that what we are?" Rose asked in a teasing tone, "Acquainted?"

"Something like that," the Doctor answered as Rose titled her face up. He kissed her and pulled her onto his lap.

"Wait," Rose said pulling away. "What about the Trickster?"

"He's an extra-dimensional being who likes chaos," the Doctor said quickly before kissing Rose again.

"You can do better than that,' Rose told him as she pushed him back, but she was smiling now.

The Doctor smiled, glad to see her mood had improved. "Well alright," he said. "Like I'm sure the White Guardian explained the Trickster was banished from the universe because he and his fellows in the Pantheon of Discord enjoyed chaos a little too much. Even the Black Guardian agreed that they were reckless and dangerous. The Trickster now works without the rest of the pantheon, in fact I'm not even sure that the rest of them are around anymore. He can manifest himself for short periods of time and tries to make deals that will create chaos, usually by altering someone's life in a very important way or finding a way to remove someone completely. I haven't had many run in with him as he hates being Time Lords and TARDIS."

"Why?" Rose questioned as she glanced over at the TARIDS.

"He has a weakness to Artron energy because of how he has to manifest himself here," the Doctor explained. "He has no proper existence in this universe so Arton energy which is a vital part of the energy of time and space can actually hurt him."

"You said that I have Artron energy residue in me now," Rose said. "So why would he want to see me."

"A little won't hurt him," the Doctor said. "But the amount carried by a Time Lord, me or another throughout would be potentially deadly to him, not to mention what would happen if he came into contact with the TARDIS."

"I'll keep that in mind," Rose said. "I have a feeling he isn't done with me yet."

"What did he offer you?" the Doctor asked quickly, trying to sound uninterested, but Rose knew better.

"he offered to change my life so the Guardians weren't in it," Rose said. "No Spellman attacking my friends when I was eleven."

"And no meeting me," the Doctor added darkly.

"Not exactly," Rose said. "The Trickster promised that we would meet when I was nineteen and that I'd travel with you after that meeting."

The Doctor looked thoughtful for a moment before he looked back at Rose. "And you weren't tempted, not even a little."

"Knowing that we'd still meet did tempt me a bit," Rose admitted. "But- but I won't be me," she said softly. "Not really, I'd be different without all of things I've been through." Rose shrugged, "Who knows what I would have been without all my adventures teaching me that I was capable of great things. Maybe I would still be at the Powell estate and working in a shop." Rose shrugged. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, I just can't imagine being happy like that." Rose caught the look on the Doctor's face and shook her head, "Anyway while he promised that we'd meet he never said anything about us being romantic." Rose leaned up and kissed the Doctor soundly before adding, "I wouldn't want to miss that."

"I suspect we'd have been together," the Doctor said with a small smile. "I can't imagine resisting you for long."

Rose grinned at him and kissed him once more. "Well I'm glad to hear that Doctor, but your Ninth self is currently doing a really good job at it so I wouldn't be too sure of that."

The Doctor kissed her again, pulling her up against him in a deep kiss that made Rose's toes curl as she slipped her fingers through his hair. "So," the Doctor asked when he released her lips, "You weren't tempted."

"Last Christmas I made a promise to you, I meant it then and I mean it now." Rose said seriously. "I love you and I'm not trading us or giving up on us, not ever."

The Doctor grinned at her. "That's my girl." He kissed her nose with a silly smile. "I love you too Rose Tyler."

Grinning, Rose leaned against her boyfriend and kissed him again, thoughts of the Trickster, the Guardians and even Jane slipping from her mind.


	8. The World Killer: The Prison Ship

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Eight: The Prison Ship

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: I'm working both on this episode and the Christmas episode, I still have plans to get this finished in the next week and start posting the Christmas episode on Christmas day. Thank you all for all the supportive reviews and honestly this is a good time to keep them coming with my busy schedule and ambitious writing plans.

Rose tightened her coat around herself as she walked across the street from her home on Bannerman Road to the Smith-Chesterton house across the way. It was a chilly November day and Rose could imagine the water in the air freezing into ice, in fact it may have been better if it did as at least it would have fallen to the ground and she wouldn't have to feel like her was breathing in a frozen pond. Rose forced herself to focus as she reached Sarah Jane's door and pulled out her key. Sarah Jane and Johnny were attending the reveal of a new computer system in Germany, Sarah Jane as a reporter and Johnny as a curious engineer who would no doubt translate a lot of technical information for his wife. Luke was staying with Clyde, but since she was in London Rose was planning to do a quick check on Mister Spock and K-9. Just to make sure that their systems were working properly.

The lock clicked open and Rose stepped into the quiet house, it was so still in comparison to what she was used to. Sarah Jane's once perfectly clean home had transformed dramatically in less than a year. Luke's adoption had resulted in a sitting room being transformed with a television and game system where he and his friends would spend their time. Her marriage to Johnny had resulted in new photographs around the house, bookshelves being shared with his things, the feminine rugs and pillows of the living room being replaced with solid darker colors and other touches all over the place. Rose smiled to herself, when she'd first met Sarah Jane the woman had been rather prickly and while she'd been happy with who she was the reporter hadn't been really happy. A year later she was happily married with a son.

"Mistress Rose?" the robotic voice of K-9 called from up the stairs. It didn't surprise Rose in the least that the robot dog was in the attic with Spock. She just hoped they weren't arguing about relative dimensions or which one of their systems was superior again.

"Yes K-9," Rose called back as she shrugged out of her coat and hung it by the door. "It's me."

Rose climbed the stairs to the attic and couldn't hold in a very unladylike snort at the sight before her. Spock was projecting a holographic chess set, but not a normal chess set. No apparently the dueling computers had decided that Earth chess was too simple and were playing three dimensional chess. Rose didn't understand the rules and had no desire to, but she could guess that it was more complicated. There were a few more white pieces than black, but she thought that black might have the advantage based on the location of the white king relative to what looked like a black queen.

"Having fun?" Rose questioned as she leaned against the doorframe of the attic.

"Checkmate in four move Mistress Rose," K-9 replied and despite his computerized voice Rose was sure she heard some smugness.

"I have checkmate in three," Spock announced also sounding smug.

Seeing that another bout of snarking computers was about to start Rose stepped forward. "Sorry boys, but I have limited time to check Spock so this will have to wait. K-9 I want you to run a diagnostic."

"I have a matter to discuss with you Rose," Spock said. "Forty-five minutes ago-"

"Rose!" A sudden voice called out from downstairs. Rose smiled recognizing Luke's voice. Turning back to the computers Rose said, "Play nicely you two, I'll be right back."

Spock started to say something, but Rose spun back towards the door and hurried to the stairs. She nearly jumped down to the stairs and found Luke, Clyde and Rani waiting for her. Rose took in the three pre-teens quickly. Rani had grown a few more inches and was almost as tall as Luke and Clyde giving Rose the impression that she'd grow up to be a very tall girl. She was dressed practically in jeans, a jacket with her long dark hair tied back. Clyde's hair had been cut even shorter as a buzzcut and he was dressed in his standard jeans and hoodie combination. Luke still stood a bit awkwardly, as if unsure what to do when he was just waiting. His hair was messy and in need of a trim, but his short shelved button up shirt was neatly pressed. He presented an odd picture overall, but he looked more comfortable than when Rose had last seen him and smiling widely at her.

"Did you see it?" Rani questioned with a hint of excitement in her voice.

"Nice to see you too," Rose remarked stepping forward to hug Luke tightly. She released him after a moment and smiled at him. "You look good Luke," she said.

"Thank you very much," Clyde said proudly with a grin. "I've been working on him."

"Now," Rose said, "Did I see what?"

"A meteor," Rani said with excitement. "Over London just now. It must have crashed down somewhere nearby. We came by to ask Spock about it," she examined with excited eyes.

"Please tell me it was something cool!" Clyde said with just as much excitement.

"A body entering the Earth's atmosphere generates temperatures in excess 1600 degrees centigrade, no way was it something cool," Luke supplied, but he was smiling mischievously.

The dark skinned boy looked torn between laughing and rolling his eyes. "Still got a long way to go with that humor thing my young padawan."

"So you saw a meteor?" Rose questioned her mind quickly becoming alert, "Just now?"

"Yeah, it blew just overhead," Clyde said. "We came straight over to your place to tell you, but your Mum said you were over here," Clyde lifted his fingers to make quotes, "Watering the plants."

"My Mum was a bit offended," Rani said, "What with owning a flower shop."

"So I should have said I was coming over to check on a supercomputer with extraterrestrial origins and a robotic dog produced almost three thousand years in the future," Rose hissed. "Come on, Spock said something earlier, maybe about that meteor or whatever it was."

They went back upstairs quickly to find that Spock had ended the holographic chess match simulation and his screen was split between two images: one of the solar system and the other a map of a nearby part of London.

"I take if you have found out about the extraterrestrial body that entered the Earth's atmosphere," Spock said. "As I was trying to say I have been tracking the object since it entered solar space forty-five minutes ago."

"It crossed the Solar System in forty-five minutes?" Rose gasped. "Then we're taking about a ship and not a meteor."

"Indeed Mistress Rose," K-9 said. "We detected ionic propulsion fusion engines have left a distinct trail from the Ort cloud to planet Earth. The ship's trajectory was very stable, but engines failed once the ship entered the inner solar system."

"Ionic propulsion fusion," Clyde said with a grin, "Now that sounds cool!"

"Why didn't you mention this when I first came in?" Rose asked Spock with a slight frown.

"We were trying to finish our chess match first," Spock replied calmly either unaware of Rose's anger or uncaring. "Nothing indicated an immediate threat to the Earth or the human species."

"Fine," Rose huffed. "Do either of you have anything specific on the object? Planet of origin, reason for being so close to the solar system or reason for engine failure?"

"I intercepted the following the following distress signal," Spock said before filling the screen with a recording.

A large rhino like creature with the same horn and head shape as the Earth creature was sitting in a pilot chair surrounded by controls with sparks flying all around him. Unlike the Earth creature the being wore a heavy looking grey suit of armor. With her translator off, all Rose heard was strange rhythmic noises. She quickly pulled the translator from her pocket and put it on. The words instantly took on meaning as the creature called back to the Shadow Proclamation reporting a strange computer failure that had caused overheating in the engines and massive failures.

"Judoon," Rose said softly in realization, putting the pieces together at the mention of the Shadow Proclamation that the Doctor had told her about.

"Oh boy!" Rani laughed behind Rose. "A talking rhino."

"He's a Judoon," Rose said as she crossed her arms and frowned with worry. "His species work for the Shadow Proclamation. They are sort of like police men, they enforce the Shadow Proclamation's code across much of the universe."

"So they're the good guys," Luke said from behind Rose, but it sounded a bit like a question too.

"Sometimes," Rose said with a nervous shrug, "But according to the Doctor their methods can result in a lot of collateral damage. They don't see shades of grey, but operate on a very strict view of black and white, lawful or not which has caused the Doctor plenty of problems in the past."

"The Doctor has told you about them?" Luke asked curiously.

"He knows that this sort of thing is my job," Rose supplied. "Unlike your Mum I am paid to do this and he likes me to be prepared. I have an English copy of all the current articles of the Shadow Proclamation," she shuddered. "Really boring in some places and really terrifying in others." Rose shook her head and added, "But Earth is a level five planet according to the Shadow Proclamation so I don't know how a Judoon will cope on a world that he has no authority to uphold law. The Doctor says they aren't very smart so this could get ugly."

"Affirmative Mistress Rose," K-9 said. "Extreme caution is necessary."

"Spock where is the ship?" Rose questioned.

Spock enlarged the half of his screen holding the map. "UNIT has isolated the space craft here," Spock supplied creating a bright red dot on the map.

"Well then I'll just have to hope they call me in," Rose said biting her lip nervously. "I really don't like the combination of UNIT and a Judoon. UNIT is likely to take the Judoon as a threat and the Judoon is likely to take UNIT as a threat."

"Damn," Clyde muttered. "I really wanted another go at this meeting aliens thing."

"You and me both," Rani said. "It was fun meeting that alien at Sarah Jane's wedding."

"I'm sure you'll have more chances if you stay around the Chesterton-Smiths," Rose said as she pulled out her mobile. 'And hopefully some less dangerous than this is likely to be."

"But UNIT seems unaware of the life pod that was ejected before impact," Spock finished, a smug tone appearing in his voice again.

"Life pod?" Rose questioned turning back to the screen quickly. "Outside the restricted area?"

"My calculations suggest that it fell some ten miles outside the UNIT isolation zone in the abandoned Brely-Chase Council Estate."

"Yes," Clyde cheered as he pumped his fist.

"You're not going," Rose said sternly as she slipped her mobile back into her pocket.

"What?" Clyde, Rani and Luke demanded at the same time, at least two of their voices taking on an angry and desperate tone.

"You three are going home or in Luke's case back to Clyde's," Rose said calmly as she pulled a hair tie from her pocket and twisted her hair into a ponytail. The she slipped the sonic pen back into the tie to keep it convenient.

"But that's not fair," Rani said as she stepped forward. "We want to see this Judoon and we can help you."

"Who here wants to see the alien?" Rose questioned as she raised her own hand and three others shot into the air. "Who here is over eighteen?" The three other hands dropped and the teenagers glowered at her.

"Hypocrite," Clyde muttered while fixing Rose with a sharp look.

"When I dealt with aliens before I was an adult I had no choice Clyde," Rose said. "This Judoon may be hurt, confused and it is definitely armed. I won't take responsibility for your safety."

"I shall accompany you Mistress Rose," K-9 said rolling forward.

Rose knelt with a smile and patted the robot's head. "Thank you K-9, but no. The Judoon know Earth to be a level five planet and you are not level five technology. I can hide the sonic pen, but you're a bit harder. Stay with Spock and monitor UNIT's communications and any other information you can find. I'll keep my mobile handy and stay in touch."

"Understood Mistress Rose," K-9 replied. "I shall remain on alert should you require my assistance."

"Be careful Rose," Spock added.

The three teenagers grumbled, but all wished her luck as Rose turned to the attic door. To her great relief none of them followed her down the stairs arguing with her. She snatched her coat from the foyer and rushed across the street to her waiting jeep. Rose glanced back towards the house, grateful to see none of the teens following her before she sped off towards the life pod crash site.

The Brely-Chase Council Estate was a collection of blocky building assembled in a way that probably considered artistic in the seventies. Grime streaked the sides of the once bright buildings and Rose paused as she looked up at the building. She had found herself thinking of the Powell Estate more and more lately either if she and her mother had left it behind. At this moment she almost felt homesick for the brick buildings that had her home as a child. Rose shook of the feeling and walked into the Council grounds, unlocking the gate to the fenced off estate with the sonic screwdriver.

She didn't have to go far to find the crash site, well the first sign of it. One side of the largest building had a smoldering hole blown through it. Rose felt great relief that this council estate was close and abandoned as she knew firsthand just how crowded a building like this could be. Listening for any noises, Rose scanned the area carefully. There was a tension in the air and she felt her body tense in response. It probably wouldn't take UNIT to determine that they had a ship with no pilot and come looking. At the moment Rose's best plan was to find the Judoon, calm it down and help get it get transport from Earth. Hopefully she wouldn't do anything to endanger Earth's level five status just yet. Her planet wasn't ready for level six status and the headaches that came with it.

Then there was a sudden crash and Rose darted to the side of one of the buildings. She glanced around quickly, but didn't see anything for a moment. There were blasts of energy from some kind of energy weapon that hit the building far ahead of her. Rose jumped back and ducked into the doorway of the building, peeking out around the corner of the entry way. The Judoon lumbered towards her with his weapon drawn and firing. Rose flinched back on instinct before another round of shots hit the building far ahead once more. She peeked out in time to a much lighter humanoid figure with chains hanging from its arms dashing between this building and the next one and the Judoon firing after it.

"Bloody hell," Rose hissed as the Judoon marched after the figure. "Oh no," she said softly as she pulled out her mobile. "This is bad," she said to herself as she dialed the phone. "This is really bad."

"Yes Rose?" Spock's voice answered. "Have you made contact with the Judoon?"

"Spock did that distress call to the Shadow Proclamation get through?" Rose questioned urgently. In the background she could hear the others talking in low voices, apparently her instructions to return home had been ignored.

"It is possible Rose," Spock said, "But I am unable to determine that for certain."

"Resend the message," Rose instructed. "And make it as urgent as you can."

"Has the Judoon turned hostile?" Spock questioned.

"No, but he wasn't alone," Rose said.

"A prisoner!" Luke exclaimed for the background. "Right Rose?"

"I'm afraid so," Rose said. "The Judoon is going to do everything it can to recapture its prisoners and if humans get in the way…" Rose trailed off. "Just resend the message Spock and I'll try to get the Judoon to work with me to capture that prisoner."

"Shall I contact UNIT?" Spock questioned.

"No, wait for now until I have a better idea of what we are dealing with," Rose said. "With any luck this is a minor criminal."

"And when are you ever lucky?" Rani questioned, but Rose decided to ignore it and ended the call. She took a breath and then rushed off to follow the Judoon.

She turned a corner quickly into an old garden area tucked back behind the estate and led down towards the roadway. Rose quickened her pace as she heard and heavy thud ahead of her.

"What's going on?" She called out to warn the Judoon that she was coming and hopefully keep him from thinking she was attacking.

Rose turned another corner to get around a wall and stopped in her tracks. The Judoon was lying on the ground with some greenish yellow blood seeping from a wound on his head. Next to him holding a heavy old pipe was a humanoid figure in black clothing with chains discarded at its side. His dark hair was long and matted, but Rose knew him the moment he swung his dark eyes to her.

On reflect Rose summoned her sword and shifted into a defensive position with it positioned in front of her. The humanoid figure was staring at her with the same stunned shock and then his expression turned excited and devious.

"Rose Tyler," he greeted in his slick voice.

"Thane," Rose hissed.

"The stars have a sense of humor," Thane said with his horrible smile growing wider. "For me to meet you so soon, it is more than I hoped."

He was about to say more when the Judoon suddenly groaned and began to shift. Thane glanced down at it and Rose used the chance to leap forward, swinging to her sword at the World Killer. He dodged out of her way at the last moment and the sword collided with the short brick wall of the garden. Thane hissed at her before spinning and rushing away. Rose tore her sword from the wall and moved to follow Thane when the Judoon lashed out sideways, knocking her to the ground. Rose grunted as she hit the dirt and her sword returned to bracelet form. The Judoon swayed on his feet and Rose slipped her hand up to grab her translator from her ear and shoved it into her pocket. She looked up at the Judoon and saw his weapon pointing down at her.

"I don't mean you any harm," Rose said as she slowly stood. "I was trying to stop that man who attacked you."

The Judoon pulled out a small red stick-like device and shoved it towards her mouth. Guessing his intent she started to speak into the Judoon language assimilator that the Doctor had mentioned. "My name is Rose Tyler," she said clearly. "I mean you no harm so long as you don't harm me. I assisted in the capture of Thane from Earth the last time he was here and want to see him recaptured as quickly as possible."

The Judoon pulled the device away from her and inserted it into a round hole in his armor that was lined with a red hoop of the same color.

"Language assimilated," the Judoon said to her a moment later. "Earth English." Rose sighed in relief, at least her translator wouldn't cause any awkward questions. The Judoon lifted the red device towards her again, but this time used the other end. A blue light shown from it. "You will be catalogued," the Judoon said. The device made a few small beeps and Rose forced herself to stay still when she really wanted to chase Thane. "Species human."

"Great," Rose snapped. "Can we focus on your escaped prisoner now?"

The Judoon started to move to follow Thane, but nearly fell a moment later. Rose caught its arm and helped the heavy creature a few feet to the wall.

"I Tybo Captain of 1005th Judoon Guard."

"Pleased to meet you Captain," Rose said. "But I want to know if you have a plan to capture Thane."

"I do not answer to humans," Tybo hissed.

"You crashed on my planet and allowed a being that rips worlds apart for fun loose upon it," Rose snapped. She glared at the Judoon commander and hissed, "You mean to tell me that Thane is back on my planet? The World Killer is back on Earth?! And you're not going to answer to my species for it!" Rose forced herself to breath. "This is fully established level five planet and you are an officer of the Shadow Proclamation, you have no authority on this planet unless it is given to you in an emergency by the local population."

The Judoon looked surprised and Rose felt a tiny bit better. "I will assist you in recapturing Thane," she said solemnly, "But your authority on this world comes from me and you'd better remember that."

The Judoon huffed and said nothing in response. Rose gave Captain Tydo a firm look before pulling out her mobile. Hitting Malcolm's speed dial button, Rose raised the phone to her ear while keeping an eye on the Judoon who was watching her.

"Rose I'm a bit busy at the moment," Malcolm's cheerful voice said, but sounded a bit grim. "Any chance you're in London?"

"Yes," Rose hissed. "Malcolm tell the Brigadier that we've got a huge problem. The ship that crashed was a Judoon prison ship and the prisoner is Thane." There was a pause and a sharp intact of breath. "Do you understand?" Rose pressed. "The World Killer is back on Earth. I'm with the Judoon Captain and I'll work with him to find Thane, but stay alert and I'll contact you when I've got more."

"Rose-" Malcolm started to say something, but Rose hung up and shoved the phone back into her pocket.

"Well Captain Tybo," Rose said. "Shall we go and find Thane?"


	9. The World Killer: Computer Virus

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Nine: Computer Virus

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: Hello readers, I've decided to try and finish this episode in three chapters which is short compared to the first episode I know, but this is a pretty simple story. I really want to finish this episode in time to at least start the Christmas episode on Christmas Day. Work has been very crazy lately or else I'd have finished this sooner.

Thane buttoned the cuffs of blue button down shirt he had stolen as his eyes glinted with mischief. He'd managed to slip into a flat and locate clothing that fit him and clean up. No longer did he look like an escaped prisoner. Instead he was dressed in slacks, his hair was cut to his neck and combed and he had a small satisfied smile on his face. Walking back into the living room of the apartment, Thane spared a glance down at the corpse lying in the middle of the room. It was a man in his late twenties who hadn't stood a chance when Thane had entered his home through the open window via the fire escape. Stepping over the corpse Thane returned to the man's computer which was sitting on a desk at the far side of the room.

The screen was black with code rushing down it in a sequence too fast to understand. However Thane smiled at the sight and nodded to himself. He picked up a scratched up mobile phone from next to the computer and caressed the casing gently before slipping it into the pocket of the slacks he now wore. Turning away from the computer Thane went to the entry way of the apartment and studied himself in a mirror. He frowned at his reflection and returned to the living room. Bending over the corpse Thane unlatched his victims watch and slipped it onto his own wrist. Then he grabbed the suit jacket hanging over the computer chair and pulled it on. This time he smiled at his reflection and plucked a set of keys from the entry table. Glancing back over his shoulder at the corpse, Thane smiled and said, "Don't wait up."

Closing the door behind him with the lock clicking into place, Thane twirled the keys on his finger as he walked down the hall and towards the parking garage. His smile widened until he began to whistle a sharp little tune. When a young woman peeked out of her apartment Thane beamed at her and chucked when she blushed. Once he reached the parking garage, Thane used the bob on the keychain to locate his victims car. He was still whistling when he started the car up and tore out of the parking garage and into Greater London.

Thane had been on Earth for almost forty minutes and Rose had the sinking feeling that the Judoon Captain didn't really know how to find Thane. He'd spent more than fifteen minutes making adjustments to the odd device that he'd used to catalogue her and assimilate English before he'd stomped off. The Judoon moved remarkably quickly for such a large and awkward creature. Rose was just able to keep up with the rapid march that Captain Tybo set as she followed some kind of signal with his hand held device. Rose figured he was tracking Thane as a nonhuman and briefly wondered if she and Tosh could create something like that. It occurred to her that it would probably always be going off. Rose was certain that Earth was covered with aliens, most of them living quiet and peaceful lives or busy being pop stars.

"Captain," Rose finally questioned as the Judoon led her into a back alley near the council flats. However Tybo's sensor was leading them towards Greater London. "Why did your ship crash?"

"Not important," Tybo said sharply.

Rushing forward, Rose placed herself in front of the Judoon. "Why did the ship crash?" she repeated. "Could it have been caused by Thane?"

"Impossible," Tybo said as he lumbered forward.

Rose took a few quick steps back. "Why is it impossible?"

"Thane was chained."

Rose blinked at Tybo while forcing a scream of anger back. "That doesn't make it impossible," Rose said. "In fact I can completely see Thane making sure that the systems failed someplace that made Earth your only possible emergency landing point. This is the alien that created nanobots with a telepathic interface." Rose shook her head. "I don't like coincidences like this."

"Irrelevant," Tybo said in his irritatingly monotone voice.

"You've been trying to get a trace for nearly an hour," Rose hissed. "What is the hold up?"

"Thane is similar to humans, unable to isolate trace at this time."

"Well we need a plan," Rose said. "Something better than walking around in a huge circle by your crashed ship."

"Locate Thane," Tybo replied.

"Beyond that," Rose said. "Thane looks human so he can blend in while you cannot." Rose paused and considered her options. "We should team up with the local forces. UNIT knows about aliens, maybe-"

"Thane is Judoon prisoner," Tybo said sharply with more emotion than Rose had heard from him before. "Humans not capable of capturing World Killer."

Rose glared at the Judoon's back as he lumbered forward. "And how do you propose to capture Thane without causing a panic that allows him to escape."

"Thane will not escape," Tybo said shortly.

Tybo was probably saved from getting another blow to the head and this time not from Thane by Rose's phone ringing.

"Hello?" Rose asked as she opened her mobile.

"Rose!" Malcolm's voice said. "We've got a problem."

"I know," Rose said as she glanced ahead at Tybo. "This Judoon is stomping around in circles. I don't think he has any idea where to find Thane."

"It's worse than that," Malcolm said. "We've detected some kind of super virus being spread from within London."

"Super virius?" Rose questioned. "You think its Thane?"

"We've never seen anything like this Rose," Malcolm said in a tense voice. "UNIT's systems have started to back up. Everything that can be taken off the system in British Government has been already."

"What is this virus doing?" Rose questioned.

"We aren't sure yet," Malcolm said. "Nothing has been activated yet, but it is worming through the coding of security and command programs and changing the codes. I've got Tosh a few others trying to work on the code but it is still being rewritten."

"That sounds like Thane," Rose said. "How many people know about this?"

"I only found out ten minutes ago," Malcolm said. "Alerts have been sent out to other world governments. This thing is moving fast." Malcolm's voice quieted slightly. "Rose I know you've got that Xylok stashed somewhere and I need its help on this."

"Malcolm what about Thane?" Rose questioned.

"Benton has soldiers out doing checks," Malcolm said. "But in face of this level of security threat we haven't got the resources to try and find him." Malcolm sighed, "Rose at the rate its accelerating whatever this thing is will overwrite all the security and command systems in the UK within an hour." There were noises and shouting in the background that Rose couldn't make out. "Bugger!" Malcolm hissed. "I have to go, the US, Australia, Germany and India are all reporting that the virus is in their systems."

Rani was staring at Spock's screen and tapping her foot impatiently. Behind her Clyde was pacing and muttering under his breath. Luke was watching Spock's screen intently while code streamed across it in small window. On the other half of the screen maps of London and another sequence of code was flashing.

"Luke," Spock suddenly said causing the boy to jump to his feet. "I have located the source of the virus and I believe that it was done by Thane."

"I told you," Clyde said. "Two odd things in one day have to be connected."

"I'll call Rose," Luke said as he pulled out his phone. It rang in his hand before he could answer her. "That's Rose now," Luke told the others. "Rose, Spock says that Thane released a virus into London."

"I know," Rose answered through the phone. "Captain Tybo and I haven't had any luck finding Thane and UNIT just called me about the virus. What do you have?"

Spock now spoke up as Luke put Rose on speakerphone. "I haven't been able to isolate the entire virus as it is still taking hold, but I was able to identify something I believe that you'll find interesting Rose."

"What's that Spock?" Rose asked.

"The basis of this virus is the Bad Wolf Bug that you used to stop Thane's nanobots."

There was silence on the other end of the line. Then Rose finally said, "I see Spock." Her voice sounded worried and distant. "So he did plan this and is moving quickly. According to Malcolm the virus is spreading around the world and rewriting practically whatever code it touches."

"I have located the source of the virus," Spock said. "You may find a trail to lead you to Thane there."

"What?" Rose asked. "Tell me hurry."

Spock told her the location and Rose quickly said. "I'll call you back as soon as I can. In the meantime Spock do whatever you can to slow down this virus."

Luke closed the phone and sighed as he looked up at Spock. "Any suggestions Mister Spock."

"One Luke," the Xylok replied, "But I shall need your help for this. I have a copy of the Bad Wolf virus that Rose has been creating from the Bad Wolf Bug and the Armageddon Virus. With some recoding I believe it could be used against Thane's program."

"Right then," Clyde said with a nod. "Luke you'd better stay here."

"Yeah," Rani said as she grabbed her coat. "You and Spock work things from here."

"What?" Luke turned to them. "Where are you going?"

"Well I don't know computer well enough to help on this end," Clyde said. "And it sounds like Rose has a bit more on her plate than she was expecting."

Luke opened his mouth to argue, but Rani and Clyde both dashed out of the attic. He heard the front door slam a moment later.

"Good luck," Luke said softly before he turned back to Spock. "What can we do?"

"I hate to admit it, but it would be best for the dog and I to link up," Spock said with a hint of distaste.

"Indeed Master Luke," K-9 said rolling up next to the preteen. "We shall defend each other from the virus."

"You two working together," Luke said to himself as K-9 approached Spock. "Now I know it's serious."

Rose took a breath and then approached the Judoon. "Captain Tybo," she said. "One of my contacts has a location on Thane."

"Location?" Tybo said as he turned to Rose sharply.

"Yeah somewhere that he was," Rose said with a nod. "He's unleashed some kind of virus into Earth's systems that is messing with everything. It hasn't activated yet, but it probably will some."

"I require current location not past," Tybo said.

"But there may be a clue," Rose said.

"Clue?"

Rose stared at the Judoon and managed to say, "Please tell me that you are joking. What do they teach you?"

Captain Tybo growled at Rose as he pulled his weapon from its holster. "All I need," he said gruffly.

"Well this is a big planet,' Rose said. "And knowing Thane's sense of dramatics he probably wants to be found so checking the place he released the virus is our best option." Rose glanced around to get her bearings. "We need to get back to my jeep," she said.

"Transportation," Tybo agreed, but instead of following Rose he turned and moved down a side street towards the sound of cars.

"No," Rose hissed as she rushed after the Judoon. She clenched her teeth when a police car pulled into the side street. "Get out of sight!"

But it was too late; the two police men in the car were staring at the Judoon with stunned looks on their faces. Rose wondered if they'd believe he was a mascot on his way to a game. However Tybo chose that moment to pull his gun again and point it at the vehicle.

"That's the police," Rose said as she rushed up to Tybo.

"Then they will cooperate," Tybo said firmly. As the policemen slowly climbed out of the car Tybo stepped up the driver's side. "Commandeering your vehicle." The police man's face was white as his eyes moved from Rose to Tybo.

"That's an order," Tybo snapped.

"Watch it," Rose hissed. "You have no authority to give orders on Earth." She turned to the policeman. "This is very important," Rose said with a smile. "I'm really sorry about this."

"Requisition slip," the Judoon said to the policeman as he held out a milky piece of thin plastic with strange letters on it. The officer took it with a look of confusion.

"Just go," Rose said. "UNIT will contact you later," she added.

The officer nodded and backed away from the Judoon and the car to join his fellow officer down the street.

"Cooperation appreciated," Tybo said to the retreating figures.

Rose raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "That slip you gave him is useless here you know," she said. Tybo looked at her and Rose smirked. "No contact with the Shadow Proclamation remember."

When Tybo moved towards the driver's seat Rose gripped his large arm to draw his attention. "I'll drive," she said firmly.

"I am trained to pilot all methods of apprehension," Tybo informed Rose seriously.

"But on Earth the law requires that a driver have passed a local driving examination and have a license," Rose informed him. She pulled out her wallet and presented her license to Tybo. The Judoon examined the license and Rose's face making a low humming sound.

"Very well," Tybo said before he moved over to the passenger seat.

Sighing in relief, Rose climbed into the vehicle and restarted the engine. Just to be on the safe side given that her passenger was a Judoon she fastened her seat belt. Beside her Tybo sat awkwardly in the seat and his tracking device made an odd chirping noise.

"What's that?" Rose questioned.

"Judoon recovery mission has entered solar space," Tybo informed her.

She cursed herself for having Spock send out Tybo's message, it would take the Judoon only 45 minutes to reach Earth. With Thane up to something on Earth this was no longer a simple capture mission, but she'd learned enough about the Judoon to know that as far as they were concerned what Thane had done to the planet didn't matter. Rose took another breath before steering the car out into traffic and heading for the location of the virus origin.

The Bevert-Collins building was a modern and newer block building, but Rose didn't have much time for that. She pulled the car around into the alley hoping to avoid Tybo catching any attention. During the drive over he'd rolled down the window and ordered one driver to turn down his music despite Rose's protests.

"Where is Thane?" Tybo demanded as Rose turned off the engine and removed the keys to the vehicle.

"I'm not sure," Rose said. "Clues remember."

Tybo climbed out of the car and looked up at the fire escape that Rose had parked by.

"It's the fifth floor," Rose said as she gripped the ladder and pulled it down. It was already lower than it should have been which made her sure that Thane had entered the same way.

Tybo followed Rose up the ladder and stairs with loud thumps and grunts as his rhino head had difficultly navigating the metal grates around him. Rose flinched with every thud and waited for someone to look out their windows or for the sound of sirens. She was quickly distracted by a window that was open wide on the right floor.

"Oh no," she said softly as she peered in. Through the bedroom door she could see part of a hand lying on the ground. "Damn it Thane," she growled as she climbed into the flat.

Rose rushed into the main room, but stopped at the threshold of the bedroom. It was too late for the human who had lived here, she could already see that. As Tybo entered through the window behind her, Rose turned to the bed and pulled off the duvet. She ignored Tybo for a moment and took the duvet out into the living room and gently laid it over the dead body. Then Rose stood and examined the room around her.

"Thane not here," Tybo repeated impatiently.

"Just wait a moment," Rose said as she walked over to the computer. The screen was rapidly sequencing numbers and Rose pulled out her mobile and hit the speed dial for Luke.

"Yes Rose?" the boy answered quickly.

"I'm at the source," Rose said. "Will it help or hinder if I cut the power on this end."

"At this point I doubt it will make any difference," Spock's voice replied. "We have only been partially successful in using the Bad Wolf virus to block replication."

"You can't stop it?" Rose asked. "Are you sure?"

"Luke, K-9 and I are still making adjustments to the Bad Wolf virus," Spock said. "We have yet to determine the full purpose of Thane's code."

"Right then," Rose said as she reached for the plug of the computer. "I'm shutting this side down at least." With a sharp tug she cut the power and the screen went dark. "Anything else to report?" Rose asked.

"Well…" Luke started to say nervously. "Thing is that Rani and Clyde-"

The was suddenly a knocking on the door and Tybo drew his weapon. Rose quickly gestured for him to stop and moved forward to the door quietly. She ignored the phone in her hand as she peered through the hole in the door to see Rani and Clyde standing in the hallway. Rose unlocked the door and pulled it open.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Sounded like you could use some help," Rani explained with a smile. "And neither of us can help on the computer issue front."

"Get inside," Rose hissed as she glanced through the hallway.

The two preteens obeyed and scurried inside the flat. They stopped short when they saw the duvet covered lump in the living room.

"Is that?" Rani asked in a soft voice.

"I'm afraid so," Rose said with a nod.

"We need to find this guy," Clyde said with a sharp tone to his voice.

Tybo lumbered across the room and into view. Clyde and Rani gaped up at the alien, but Tybo turned his attention to Rose.

"Have you found clue?" he demanded.

"Not yet," Rose replied before turning to Rani and Clyde. "Look for anything that doesn't belong here."

To their credit both of them nodded and started checking the shelves and tables of the flat. Rani entered the kitchen while Clyde slipped into the bedroom. Rose turned her attention back to the living room. She frowned when her eyes caught a folded piece of paper on the mantel of the small electric fireplace. Walking over to it quickly Rose was highly aware of Tybo's gaze on her and picked up the note quickly only to glare at it. In neat English were the words: To Captain Tybo and Rose Tyler.

Rose unfolded the sheet of paper and was met with a series of odd symbols. She began to reach from her translator when Tybo pulled the not from her hands and looked at it. He growled loudly, pulling Clyde and Rani's attention to him.

"Thane's location established," Tybo said.

"Where?" Rose questioned. "I can't read that."

Tybo's communication beeped again and a series of odd sounds came from it. Rose grabbed her translator and slipped it on just in time to catch only a few words.

"Emergency declared by Council. All Judoon granted full powers of authority."

"What was that?" Clyde asked Captain Tybo.

Captain Tybo turned to Rose. "I have new orders, no longer require permission of humans to apprehend Thane." Tybo narrowed his eyes at Rose. "Assistance appreciated, but this is now Judoon mission only."

"Wait a minute," Rani protested. "This is our planet not yours!"

"Interference in Judoon apprehension is punishable by execution," Captain Tybo said firmly. "No longer human matter."

"Hey," Clyde started to protest, but Rose grabbed him and pulled him away from Tybo.

"Understood Captain Tybo," Rose said with a nod as her eyes shifted to Tybo's weapon.

"Very sensible," Tybo said before he looked at the note in his hand one more time before walking over a wastebin and dropping it in. Tybo then turned towards the bedroom and Rose kept a tight grip on Clyde's arm and Rani's hand as Tybo made the noisy climb back down to the police car.

She dropped their hands once there was some distance between them and Tybo and rushed over the wastebasket. Rose fished out the note and examined the symbols.

"Can you read it?" Rani asked.

"Yeah," Rose said. "This isn't good though, these coordinates are the old UNIT HQ."

"Isn't that good?" Rani questioned. "UNIT will be there and catch him."

"Before or after the Judoon beam into the area to take Thane themselves," Rose asked. "You heard Tybo, the Judoon now have full authority on Earth and any action they see as interference will be punished with death. Thane's set up a trap for UNIT troops and the Judoon to kill each other."

"While Earth's comuter systems are overwhelmed," Rani observed.

"And then he takes the Judoon ship and gets away," Clyde finished.

"Well first thing is to call UNIT," Rose said. She folded up the note and put it into her pocket. Pulling out her phone she pressed the number for Malcolm's UNIT phone and frowned. "It's not working," she said. Rose pressed her contact for Benton, but that didn't work either. Then the power in the building suddenly shut off leaving them standing in a dim room.

"Thane's turned off the power," Rose hissed. "The virus must be into all the controls for London by now."

"So no cell towers," Clyde said. "I thought your phone always worked."

"Mine does," Rose said. "But if I'm calling a phone with no power to give it service then I'm out of luck."

"So we can't warn UNIT and they'll be on even higher alert," Rani said. "What do we do?"

"Stop it," Rose said. "One way or another."


	10. The World Killer: Obstruction of Justice

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Ten: Obstruction of Justice

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: I tried to finish the episode in only three chapters, but it wasn't possible. I will get the last chapter up very quickly and then work on the Christmas episode!

To their credit neither Rani nor Clyde panicked at Rose's words and followed her silently out of the building down the fire escape. Once she was back in the alley Rose pulled out her mobile phone.

"I though you said you couldn't call anyone right now," Clyde observed.

"If they have a mobile," Rose said. "But I'm not calling a mobile, I'm calling the TARDIS."

"The TARDIS?" Rani breathed exchanging a look with Clyde.

The phone rang and rang for what seemed to be an eternity before the answering service beeped on without a message. Rose sighed and said, "Doctor Thane is back on Earth with a super virus and the Shadow Proclamation has granted emergency powers to the Judoon so call me when you get this." After a moment Rose added, "And carry your phone or give me Donna's mobile number."

She slipped the phone back into her pocket and motioned to Clyde and Rani to follow her. They turned into the main street and Rose stopped in alarm. Power was out all along the street and an officer was trying to direct traffic. People on the sidewalks were holding their phones in the air trying to find signals.

"Looks like the virus has spread," Clyde observed.

"This bad," Rani said. "Lots of things rely on computers nowadays."

"Yeah," Rose said with a frown. "Worse is how do we get across town with traffic like this."

"And you can't get ahold of UNIT?" Rani questioned.

Rose pulled her phone back out and examined her contact list. "Well I've got Malcolm, Benton and Tosh in here, but they are all mobile phones and those aren't working right now."

"Tell me about it," Rani said. "Don't those things have backup generators?"

"Some do," Rose said. "But a lot of that is also controlled by computers now; it isn't just computers now, but coded commands in all kinds of machines." Rose glanced around and spotted a hospital with lights in the distance. "At least it looks like on site generators are working at least."

"That's something," Rani said as she pulled her coat tighter around her. "What about land lines?"

"Land lines contain some of their own power," Rose said as she studied her contacts with a frown. "And phone companies use battery systems and not just generators so maybe they still work."

She hit the button for UNIT's central phone and promptly pressed the 0 button. There was nothing on the other end.

"Bloody hell," Rose hissed. "He's altered the land line programming too. There is no way to communicate now."

"No telly, no radio, no phones and no internet with power off all over the place," Rani observed in a soft voice. "People are going to be in a panic."

"That's the point," Rose said as they moved down the street, the two teenagers rushing along after her. "What makes Thane dangerous isn't the advanced technology he brings to Earth or a fleet of ships. What makes him dangerous is that he goes to a planet and finds the weak point and uses it. He creates fear and panic until the world destroys itself."

"You're afraid of him," Clyde said stopping in his tracks and staring at Rose's back.

"Yeah," Rose said before she turned to face Clyde and Rani. "Thane isn't logical you two. He's not like the Master who does it for power or the Daleks because he hates all other forms of life. He destroys worlds because it is fun for him and that makes him unpredictable." Rose turned back to the street and walked towards an old dark blue car parked near the corner. She pulled out the sonic pen and unlocked the door. "Coming?" she called over her shoulder. "Or staying?"

Rose climbed into the car and unlocked the other doors as she pulled out the wires for the starter. Neither teenager said anything as they climbed into the car and buckled up.

"Right then," Rose said as she pulled the car out into traffic. "Rule one is don't panic. Rule two is do what I say when I say it. Rule three…" Rose took a deep breath, "Try not to get killed."

"Rose you've been doing this for years," Rani said trying to sound upbeat. "You always win."

"No such thing," Rose said. "And a lot of people have died even when I was trying to stop it. Remember all those earthquakes last year? Death toll of over two thousand. I wouldn't call that winning." Rose shook her head as she maneuvered through the side streets to avoid the large intersections. "Things go bad even when you have a plan, people get hurt. Despite what you two might want to think you are children and aliens who invade Earth will still try and kill you."

"But-" Clyde started to protest.

"Does the name Adric mean anything to you?" Rose asked them, looking up at them with the rearview mirror. They both shook their heads. "He was a boy maybe a year or two older than you who traveled with the Doctor. He died a senseless death trying to stop a crashing spaceship from hitting Earth." Rose shook her head, "Only thing was that this spaceship was going to wipe out the dinosaurs and allow the evolution of the human race, but Adric tried to stop it. The Doctor couldn't save him and Adric died for nothing." Rose glanced at them again, noting that they both looked a lot less excited. "This is an adventure, but it still has consequences."

Once they reached the main streets the traffic smoothed out as police directed the flow of traffic. Rani and Clyde were quiet in the back seat and Rose fiddled with the steering wheel as she waited for her chance to be allowed through the traffic. She pulled out her mobile and looked at it in thought. Phones hadn't been affected with the virus just yet so they were working, but all modern communication systems were down.

"So, how does this virus thing work?" Clyde asked. "Is Thane taking over and shutting stuff down."

"Not exactly," Rose said. "There isn't any control to what is happening, it isn't like hacking where a program is taken over and given new instructions by a person." Rose paused and shook her head, "What Thane's virus is doing is writing random gibberish over the current codes which leaves the machine unable to understand any instructions."

"So the point is to totally blotch things up," Clyde said with a nod to himself. "Good job so far."

"But if he is the World Killer how does this destroy Earth?" Rani asked Rose with a curious stare.

"Well if we don't start a war with the Judoon then it is likely that countries will blame each other for the breakdown. If the systems all crash then massive amounts of data will be lost and that will cause people to panic." Rose glanced back at Rani and Clyde, "And humans are pretty violent when we panic."

Rose's phone suddenly rang and Rose snatched it up. Traffic was heavy so she handed it back to Rani. "Take this for me," Rose told the girl.

"Rose's phone," Rani said cautiously. "Toshiko Sato?"

"Put it on speaker phone," Rose ordered as she pulled into fast moving traffic.

"Rose?" Tosh asked when the phone was on speaker.

"Here," Rose replied. "Tosh how did you manage this? The networks are down and landline coding is being overwritten."

"I was going over communication satellites that have been overwritten and realized that the old satcom system hadn't been hit," Tosh explained. "Thane must not have thought about them or they haven't been connected to infected systems."

"You're using the old satcom system?" Rose asked in a small stunned voice. "I didn't know that those even worked anymore." A smile took over Rose's face, "You go Tosh!"

"Thanks Rose," Tosh said, but her voice was still strained. "But we're struggling over here with helping get systems backed up and tracking this thing. We've located the source, but we're on the wrong side of London."

"I've just come from the source," Rose said quickly. "Thane left information on where he is for the Judoon Captain and me. He's gone to the old UNIT HQ and is planning that when UNIT and the Judoon start firing at each other that he'll steal the Judoon ship and escape."

"Bugger," Tosh swore softly. "Rose we're caught at the Tower HQ working on containing the virus. Benton can send for helicopters, but it will take at least half an hour for us to reach the base, where are you?"

"I'm about fifteen minutes out," Rose said. "We weren't too far from the moterway," she explained quickly. "Any information on backup status?" Rose questioned.

"The financial sector have all begun backing up data due to the spread of the virus," Tosh informed her quickly. "UNIT locations around the world have been downloading information for the past hour to preserve infrastructure programming. I know that least the US, the European Countries, Japan and Australia have their own backup systems."

"Good," Rose said. "Listen tell Benton and Malcolm that the Xylok is at Sarah Jane Smith's house. If you call Luke and work with him and the Xylok you may be able to finish cracking whatever this damn virus is, its name is Spock. Tosh warn Benton that the Shadow Proclamation have ruled that capturing Thane is their first priority. The Judoon have been granted emergency powers on Earth which gives them the right to kill under their laws."

"Got it," Tosh said shortly without asking any questions. "Benton will be there as soon as he can so just do what you can."

Rose nodded to herself and pushed harder on the gas as she sped out of London towards the old manor house that UNIT had once worked out of. "Will do," Rose promised. "Good luck to you."

The call ended and Rose glanced in the mirror at Clyde and Rani. "I guess you're stuck coming with me after all."

"Will UNIT recognize you?" Clyde asked.

"Yeah," Rose said. "But the problem is that Tybo should already be there by now."

"Maybe he got lost," Rani suggested.

"Police car," Rose supplied. "He had GPS and an address." Rose looked at her watch, "And it is only twenty minutes before the rest of the Judoon arrive."

"What's at this old HQ?" Rani questioned.

"It used to be storage last year," Rose said, "But in the last six months they've built some new research facilities there due to the alien ship that was repaired there. Thane can access more technology there and much more advanced stuff. It also means there are a lot more guards."

"How long til we get there?" Clyde asked. "Fifteen minutes."

Rose pushed harder on the gas and rushed past the car in front of her. "No, ten."

Ten minutes later Rose turned sharply on the paved road that led up to the UNIT gate and flinched. The gate was blown wide open and two guards were lying on the ground. She slammed the brakes on and turned back to Rani and Clyde.

"Check on these men and look in the guard station for any radios, they don't use programming the same way and should still work."

"Right," Clyde said as he took off his seat belt and jumped out.

"Be careful," Rani added before she climbed out of the jeep.

Rose waited only a moment for the two kids to get clear before she drove through the burned metal remains of the fence and towards the main building. Looking around Rose tried to find a sign as to where Thane and Tybo were. She spotted the stolen police car parked in front of one of the hangers that had been converted into a two story research lab and sped towards it.

Rose pulled up just as an explosion rocked the area. She stumbled from the stolen car as a few people in lab coats and civilian clothing rushed from the building. Several were nursing burns and coughing. To her relief Rose recognized one of them at Kate Stewart.

"Kate!" Rose shouted and she rushed over. "Are you alright? What's happened?"

"An alien with the head of a rhino came into the complex," Kate gasped as she straightened up. "We haven't been able to contact HQ and the rhino has been blasting everything and yelling about Thane." Kate gestured to those with her. "We were able to get out, but the computer system inside has started to crash from that virus so I'm not sure about the others."

"What about the soldiers who were guarding the complex?" Rose asked urgently.

"Fighting the alien," Kate said. "They were upstairs."

"Okay Kate," Rose said. "Get the others to the house, Benton should be on his way."

"What about you?" Kate demanded.

"I know the alien, he's a Judoon and maybe I can convince him to stop shooting. Thane set this up as a trap so he could escape."

Kate nodded and as Rose moved towards the door Kate turned to one of the others and said, "Mary you help everyone down to the house and keep them there." Kate didn't wait for an answer before she pulled out her access key and shrugged out of the white lab coat leaving her in darker clothing. She rushed after Rose and met her at the door.

"What are you doing?" Rose hissed.

"Coming with you," Kate said. "You may be a qualified field operator, but you haven't worked in these labs and have no idea where the fighting is."

Another loud series of blasts made the metal walls of the hanger shake and Rose looked at Kate. "I suspect I could figure it out."

"We don't have time to argue," Kate said shortly before she grabbed Rose's arm and started to lead her into the building.

The quickly built interior of the building consisted of cinderblock walls and sheetrock that was crashing to reveal the cinderblock and wiring underneath. Another blast above their heads made both women pause, but Rose turned to Kate.

"The Judoon's backup will be here in ten minutes. We have to find Thane to hand over to them so they'll leave!"

"Any ideas where he would be?" Kate questioned.

"He'd want to see what's happening," Rose said as she looked around. "Any thoughts?"

"There's a small overlook near the fighting," Kate suggested. "It's where the officers show visitors what we're working on."

"Lead the way," Rose ordered as she glanced around. "And look out for the Judoon."

"This way," Kate gestured to a passage to the right on the entry. "Stay close!"

They worked their way up the stairs without any sign of the Judoon. The building was suffering from the weapons discharge and Rose wondered if any of the UNIT men were still alive. The bile rose in her throat as she realized that they'd have to simply let the Judoon leave. She also realized that she'd potential sent two preteens to check on corpses. Rose banished the thought and focused on Kate in front of her

"This way," Kate said quickly. "Hurry!"

Luke Smith frowned as he typed another series of characters into Spock with a keyboard. Next to him K-9 was a speaking to himself in a low voice as he feed data into Spock. Behind Luke his discharged mobile phone began to ring.

"Rose!" Luke said in relief.

"Not possible," K-9 said. "Even superphones are unable to connect to a phone that has been rendered-"

"Do be quite, K-9," Spock said sharply.

Luke frowned, but grabbed his phone. "Hello?"

"Luke Chesterton-Smith, this is Doctor Malcolm Taylor of UNIT," an older male voice said through the phone. "We have managed contact with Rose Tyler and she told us to work with you and the Xylok to contain this virus."

Luke shifted nervously. "What are you talking about?"

"The Xylok's name is Spock," Malcolm said gently. "Luke Rose trusts us and this is important."

"Alright," Luke said. "Spock has been helping with downloads around the world while I work on the virus. It is a variation of the Bad Wolf Bug that Rose and the Doctor used to stop Thane's nanobots."

"That we know," Malcolm said. "Tosh isolated the source as well, but we haven't made much progress on stopping the virus thus far."

"It's weird," Luke said. "We found an odd sequence in the virus that we aren't sure about. It isn't overwriting anything and it almost looks like-"

"Like it is saving the original information," a female voice suddenly said on the line. "I noticed that too," the woman added. "While extracting a fragment of an overwritten code it shifted partially back to its original form for a split second."

"Luke, this is Tosh," Malcolm said quickly. "Are you two suggesting that the virus isn't really rewriting the code, but is just hiding it?"

"Maybe," Tosh said thoughtfully. "Thane…. Well he isn't the usual kind of alien."

"It's a game," Luke said suddenly. "That's got to be it."

"A game?" Malcolm repeated.

"In a game there is a way to win," Luke said. "And if we win then the damage is reserved."

"How do we win?" Malcolm asked.

"I'm not sure," Luke admitted. "Tosh what exactly did you do that caused the reversal."

"It only lasted for a split second," Tosh said. "And there were a lot of variables, too many for us to get through."

"I'm not sure about that," Luke said with a smile. "I've got a supercomputer robot dog and a Xylok with me so tell me what you've got and we'll see what we've got."

Clyde helped Rani shift the two guard's bodies into the guard post. The radio was smoking from whatever weapon the Judoon had used to blast down the gate. Looking at the red gun Clyde wouldn't have imagined it to be so powerful.

"I hate this," Rani said as she looked at the two bodies. "What did they do to deserve this?"

"Obstruction of justice," Clyde said bitterly. He looked up the road at the house and said, "We can't do anything more here." He looked down at his watch, "The Judoon will be here in just a few more minutes."

"You're right," Rani said with a determined nod. "Come on!"

They ran up the drive towards the main house, a group of scientists were entering the building with several wounded people. One of them looked at the children in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in a nearly frantic voice. "You need to leave now!"

"Where's Rose Tyler?" Clyde asked.

"She's with Kate," the woman said quickly. "Come inside!"

"There's the car Clyde," Rani said as she tugged on the sleeve of Clyde's jacket. "Come on!'

"No!" the woman shouted. "You can't!"

The two preteens ignored her and started running towards the building where the stolen car was parked. Rani reached the building first and stopped as she looked up at it. She took a deep breath and looked over at Clyde as he reached it.

"Maybe we shouldn't," Rani said carefully.

"We probably shouldn't," Clyde agreed. "I mean this guy scares Rose and by the sound of it Tybo is going nuts in there against UNIT."

"Yeah," Rani said before she nodded and headed for the door. "If the world's going to end in a nasty war with the Judoon then I'd rather die trying to stop it."

Clyde grinned nervously behind her and nodded in agreement as he followed her into the building. "Can't argue with that one!"

Rose and Kate rushed around the final corner and into the large area where UNIT soldiers were fighting the Judoon. A quick glance told Rose that many UNIT soldiers were down and the remaining UNIT soldiers were ducking behind overturned desks and machines, but Tybo was distergratting what remained with his weapon at a rapid pace. Rose pulled out her sonic pen and adjusted the settings before pointing it at Tybo's gun.

The gun sparked and there was a bright flash of light. Rose backed away as Tybo looked down at his gun and growled. Then he turned to look around and spotted Rose holding the sonic pen. His eyes narrowed and he started to stalk towards her.

"Obstruction of justice," he announced. "Sentence execution."

Jumping away from Kate, Rose turned and rushed down the hall shouting behind her, "Kate help the others!"

The heavy footfalls of the Judoon behind her made Rose shudder as she tried to navigate her way through the labyrinth of halls and small laboratory rooms. She turned a corner and came to a small lab with a heavy doorway that was still intact. Otherwise the hall was a dead end. Rose slipped into the small lab, but left the door open. Leaning against the wall by the doorway she summoned her sword and waited as Tybo's heavy footsteps approached.

The Judoon's heavy breathing was in the doorway for a moment. Rose heard running suddenly down the corridor that she couldn't place. Then Tybo fell into the room and against the lab table with a heavy thud.

"Rose!" Clyde's voice called.

"Hurry!" Rani shouted.

Rose moved away from the wall and twisted around the corner to leave the small room through the doorway. As soon as she was out Clyde put all of his weight against the door and closed it. Rani twisted the crank lock to seal it and stepped back. Rose took a quick breath and noted that both of them were shaking.

"He'll blast out of that soon," Clyde said.

"No he won't," Rose said. "I fused some parts of his gun, but now he wants me dead." She looked at the two preteens. "That was stupid, but you also may have saved my life." Rose allowed her sword to return to its bracelet form. "Between his armor and size I'm not sure how much the sword would have done."

"We haven't got much time left," Clyde said.

"Just minutes," Rose said. "Hopefully they'll try to find Tybo first."

The trio quickly backtracked to find Kate and the others in the main room. Rose glanced into each room they passed hoping to find Thane easily, but they were soon back to Kate. The older blonde woman sighed in relief when she caught sight of Rose and glanced curiously at Clyde and Rani.

"We're sort of her junior partners," Rani offered with a nervous smile.

"You are nothing of the sort," Rose huffed. "This is a one time I couldn't get rid of you thing." Rose looked over at Kate. "How bad?"

"Nine dead and three survivors," Kate said. "Apparently the Judoon was holding their trials as he fired at them which slowed him down in killing them."

"The gate guards were dead too," Clyde said softly as he shifted on his feet.

"I'm sorry," Rose said softly, "I'm so sorry."

A harsh laugh to her right made Rose look over in alarm. Thane was standing at the corner of a passage that lead off to the right. The passage leading to the observation room Rose realized with a frown. "Not as sorry as you are going to be Tyler," Thane said with a smirk, but then he frowned. "I thought you'd be better at the game than this." Then he pulled something out of his pocket and threw it at Rose. She caught it on instinct and tensed as a cold feeling rushed over her.

A moment later she stumbled forward, but caught herself a moment later. Thane was standing a few feet in front of her in a large unfinished room with open sides Rose risked a quick glance around and realized they were in one of the hangers that was under reconstruction and was exposed on one side.

"A teleport?" Rose questioned. "What happened to native technology only?"

"That's only to destroy the planet," Thane said with a shrug. "But you and I have unfinished business." He took a step closer and looked at her. "So once again Tyler what did you see in the schism?"


	11. The World Killer: Reset Switch

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Eleven: Reset Switch

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: Okay here we go this episode is finally done! This thing grew much bigger than I planned so I'm really hoping that the Christmas episode behaves itself, but it has Jack in it so I doubt it will. At least this last chapter came together really easily. Those wondering about the Judoon I'll remind you that in the altered time line of Turn Left all but one in the hospital died and I honestly don't believe that in a hospital full of people that no one died from lack of oxygen. To me that really says that they really don't worry about collateral damage.

He took a step closer and looked at her. "So once again Tyler what did you see in the schism?"

Rose gaped at him for a moment as she struggled to control herself. "You're joking," she finally hissed. "People are dead! People I know and you just want to know about the damn schism!"

"Well not just," Thane said with a huff. "Earth is on my to destroy list and I hate leaving work unfinished.

"What's your game Thane?" Rose asked.

"Finally asking the right question," Thane said with a wide grin. "Finally understanding!"

"Alright," Rose said slowly as she examined their surroundings. "Care to tell me the rules?"

"If you win you get the reset switch," Thane said with a grin. "My little virus isn't really rewriting your precious computer coding. It is masking it, confusing the computer with false gibberish. That's the reason it can't be stopped, not even by a Xylok and yes I detected him when I was on Earth last time. I'm very impressed." Thane said with a grin. "Just as the Bad Wolf Bug kept my nanobots from reading their program this is stopping your computers from reading theirs and providing false gibberish code to programmers to keep them running in circles."

Thane giggled to himself and said, "I was a bit worried when Captain Tybo arrived without you, but your young friends seem to have dealt with him." Thane chuckled, "Bit young aren't they."

"So was I," Rose answered as calmly as she could.

"Ah yes, I've read your file. Defending the Earth from age eleven," Thane tilted his head at her, "But you don't seem very happy to have these two trying to do the same."

"Stop this now Thane," Rose ordered. "A platoon of Judoon are only a few minutes away. Stop this and leave. I know you're clever enough to vanish for a bit and get yourself off of Earth. There are ships passing in range who could take you."

"Oh I'll leave soon enough," Thane said. "But this time I'll be piloting the ship and not riding in the back like a common prisoner." Thane paused and tapped his chin thoughtfully. "My only regret is that I won't see all the fun your pathetic little planet is about to go through. They're all in a panic over a major cyber-attack and then a team of heavily armed aliens start thundering through London." He chuckled and added, "You humans are so violent when you're panicked and the Judoon won't take that kind of reaction from an irrelevant species like you."

"How'd you manage it?" Rose questioned to stall, for what she wasn't sure. The Judoon patrol would be here any second, Captain Tybo had been given full authority and she was pretty sure that herself, Rani and Clyde were now on an execution list.

Thane pulled a small device from his pocket and held it up. "Look familiar?"

Rose blinked as the light reflected off of the casing of her old mobile phone, her superphone to be exact. The one the Doctor had used to transfer the Bad Wolf Bug into Thane's telepathic interface.

"I managed to snatch this from the rubble the last time we met," Thane said. "The Judoon didn't consider scraps from a primitive planet a threat and allowed me to hold onto it as my personal possession." Thane tossed the phone into the air and caught it with a smirk. "But I knew better."

"So that's how you had the Bad Wolf Bug," Rose observed in a stunned voice before she recovered. "Tell me does it still work as a phone?"

"No," Thane said with a shake of his head. "The Bad Wolf Bug corrupted your contacts, pity because I noticed that the TARDIS was among them." Thane leaned forward his eyes peering at Rose. "I found that very interesting."

"I'm the junior partner," Rose replied with a shrug. "So now what do you plan to do Thane?"

"You have a new phone don't you?" Thane half asked and half insisted. "Call the Doctor! I want him here!"

"I tried," Rose admitted a bit nervously. "He wasn't there." She paused and then said, "Why don't you stop things so he can come here and still see the fireworks."

Thane gave her a withering look. "That was a weak attempt Tyler," he said scornfully. "I know you can do better."

"I'm not having a good day apparently," Rose defended. "Everyone has off days."

"Yours can get your planet destroyed," Thane said with a grin. "Funny thing about the Shadow Proclamation is they can only charge me for a handful of the worlds I've 'helped to their destruction'. Most of my best work was too subtle, rather like Earth, I helped put events in place that caused the civilizations to turn on each other. The planet Shintic destroyed itself in a nuclear war, but according to the Shadow Proclamation I didn't actually cause the war since they made the choice." Thane held up the superphone and grinned, "It will be the same for Earth unless you get this phone back."

"What do you mean?" Rose asked as she took a careful step towards Thane.

"The reset trigger is in this phone," Thane said. "Your superphone was my weapon and control for all of this and the way to reserve it is in here. You get the phone and activate the switch and all the coding that I have played with will revert to normal."

Rose stared at Thane and then her eyes moved to the phone which he tossed in the air gently.

"So how do I get the phone?" Rose questioned. "What are the rules to the game?"

Thane smiled and walked to the edge of the construction zone and looked down the two story drop.

"Tell me what you saw in the schism," Thane said simply. "And I will give you the phone."

"I didn't see anything," Rose said urgently as she tried to take a step towards Thane, but he put the phone threateningly over the drop. "I heard something like a song in my head but that was it."

"A song?" Thane said, "Really you want me to believe that?"

"That's all there was," Rose said taking another tiny step forward as she spoke. "Really I don't remember seeing anything. I was in a trance."

"That's too bad," Thane said as he turned to look at the phone in her hand. "I hate liars Rose."

Rose lunged for him and caught his free hand trying to pull him away from the edge. Thane lashed out at her with his elbow catching Rose at her collarbone. Rose stumbled near the edge for only a split second before she recovered and tried to grab the phone. Thane's free hand slipped behind his back for a moment before he quickly produced a gun. Slipping her hand under his elbow Rose tried to grab the weapon away from him, but Thane fired off a shot.

The bullet ripped across the sleeve of Rose's shirt, ripping the top layer of skin in what felt like a hot knife slashing the skin. A short cry escaped Rose, but she tried to grab the gun away from Thane. The phone clattered to the ground and Rose saw Thane grin before he kicked the phone off the edge of the construction platform.

Spinning back from Thane, Rose delivered a sharp kick to his chest which sent the alien back away from the edge. He landed on the platform with a heavy thump and gasped for air. Rose started to move towards him, but Thane raised the gun and fired.

The bullet sailed past her by only a few inches as she stumbled at the edge of the platform. Gripping her shoulder, Rose looked up Thane to see him rushing at her as he giggled in glee. She moved to evade him, but Thane caught her injured arm with his own shoulder. His momentum carried them both over the edge.

Rose had only a few seconds to twist her body and bend her knees. She rolled forward as her feet hit the ground and grunted in pain as her shoulder impacted with the packed earth of the construction site. Her vision blurred as tears sprung to her eyes despite her struggle to stay aware. Next to her she could hear laughing.

"The phone is in pieces," Thane's voice sang from below her. "You lost the game, why couldn't you just answer the question."

"I hate you," Rose hissed as she used her right arm to force herself into a sitting position. She could barely feel her left shoulder and what she could feel wasn't good. Her vision cleared enough to look around and see the shattered phone remains on the ground near her body. Thane was lying next to her with his legs twisted in an odd position.

The sound of a helicopter nearby helped Rose focus and she looked around. Her breath caught when she spotted a ground of heavily armored Judoon stalking towards her and Thane with Captain Tybo in the lead. Next to her Thane giggled and let his head fall back against the ground. Clyde and Rani were with them and being held by one of the Judoon guards.

"Oh well," he said lightly with a grin to Rose. "I still had fun."

Captain Tybo reached them in less than a minute and pulled out a long strange looking chain which he attached to Thane's wrists. He harshly pulled the man to his feet only for Thane to crumple back against another Judoon. Tybo growled and removed another device from his belt and pointed it at Thane. The alien twisted into the air and an energy bubble appeared around him, elevated and supporting his injured body.

Rose gripped her injured arm, ignoring the blood from the bullet wound just below the dislocated joint. Her legs felt heavy and were shaking from the impact leaving her unsure of her ability to stand. None the less as the Judoon stepped closer to her, Rose raised her chin and tried to look calm. Rani and Clyde were released a moment later and stumbled over to Rose. Rani knelt at Rose's side and tried to rearrange the fabric of Rose's sleeve to cover the wound. Clyde joined them and picked at the pieces of the phone.

Thane was struggling in his new energy prison, but was smiling at the sight they made. Rose shifted her weight and tried to move in front of Rani and Clyde, but wasn't able to move more than a few inches.

Captain Tybo stopped in front of her and examined her. "Obstruction of justice," the Judoon said as he turned his eyes to Rani and Clyde. "Punishment execution."

"This is our planet," Rani said raising her chin and climbing back to her feet. "We have more of a right to defend it then you have to stomp around on it enforcing laws that aren't ours." The girl's hands were gripped tightly and shaking slightly, but Rose felt a touch of pride. Clyde nodded and stood up, taking Rani's shaking hand in his on.

"She's right," Clyde said. "We're not one of your planets and we don't answer to you."

"These two are minors," Rose said to Captain Tybo. "Under Earth law they are not yet about to understand the consequences of their actions. Surely the Shadow Proclamation recognizes children as being other than adults."

"Rose what are you doing?" Rani hissed.

Rose ignored Rani and kept her gaze locked on Captain Tybo as she spoke, "Spare the children their offense. They are not able to understand the situation to the full extent of an adult."

Captain Tybo looked at the two preteens for a long moment before nodding. "Physical and mental developmental level noted and accepted." Captain Tybo turned back to Rose and raised his weapon towards her. "Sentence stands for adult."

"No!" Rani and Clyde shouted.

"Halt!" Benton's voice shouted as he and two soldiers rush up the path towards them. "Under section 17 A of Article 19 I demand the immediate end of Judoon actions on Earth."

Captain Tybo straightened and lowered his weapon slightly as he and the other Judoon looked over at Benton. The Brigadier General took a few gulps of air and moved over to them quickly. "Under section 17A of Article 19 you have no authority even under emergency orders once the emergency is ended. The emergency and right to command justice on Earth only lasted so long as Thane was not in Judoon custody." Benton nodded to their prisoner. "He is now in your custody and your authority on this planet is over." Benton stepped closer and placed himself between Rose and Tybo. "Any further action against a citizen of this planet will be considered assault or murder both under Earth law and the Articles of the Shadow Proclamation."

Captain Tybo looked over at the other Judoon who nodded in agreement. "Very well," Tybo said with a nod. "Defense arguments acknowledged under the laws of the Shadow Proclamation."

Benton nodded, but glared at the Judoon even as they put their weapons away. The two soldiers moved over to Rose and carefully started to check her legs for injury. Rose barely noticed them as she watched the Judoon and the Brigadier. Benton drew himself up to his full height, which was still a few inches shorter than the large rhino headed Judoon, but close enough. His eyes flickered over to Thane who looked surprised at the glare he received.

"Do a better job of holding him this time," Benton said sternly. "I don't want that alien back on my planet ever," the last word came out as a near growl. "And if you lot ever harm another human you may be surprised by the fight you'll have on your hands."

The Judoon Captain seemed to at least understand some body language because they stepped back from Benton and nodded. Rose's eyes turned to the Brigadier General whose clutched hands were shaking. The Judoon vanished in a blue teleport a moment later and Benton turned to the other soldiers.

"Start removing the wounded and dead. I want medical teams to check over everyone and I want all the hangers and labs searched," he said quickly. "Get Tyler to the medical van."

They all snapped to attention at his tone and Rose found herself straightening up as Benton turned to her. Rose was carefully helped to her feet which shook a bit, but held her weight. The Bridger looked over at the hanger where the fight with the Judoon had taken place.

"This is the first time I've had to allow an alien that killed humans leave," Benton said. "I'd love to shoot Thane, but I'm angrier at that Judoon even more. They ever set foot on my planet again they'll find out just what kind of 'primitive' creatures we can really be."

Rose nodded as a medical van pulled up next to them. One of the soldiers gently helped him into the back and the medic started working on her shoulder and checking her legs and back for injuries. She looked out the back of the van to speak with Benton. The Brigadier turned to her and gave her a nod. "The Doctor called me via Tosh's system and told me what to say to the Judoon to save you and he sounded very worried so call him."

Rose looked over at Clyde and Rani who were shifting nervously. Benton followed her gaze and nodded to himself. "And now for you two."

"Sir?" Rose questioned. "What about the virus?"

"Don't worry about it Tyler," Benton said. "And that's an order."

After almost any other day Rose would have argued, but the look on Benton's face and her own near exhaustion plus the pain in her shoulder made her nod in agreement. Giving Rani and Clyde a quick nod, Rose turned her attention to the medic caring for her and carefully pulled out the phone that had been in her right pocket. A moment later the medic closed the back door of the van and told the drive they were good to go.

Benton watched the van until it drove around the old manor house and out of view before he turned back to the preteens. "You shouldn't have come here today," Benton said simply. "It was stupid."

"It's our planet too," Rani said. "We have a right to defend it."

"How much do you know about Rose's history?" Benton questioned.

"A bit," Rani said. "She's been battling aliens for years."

"She was also trained by UNIT with full field agent curriculum when she was sixteen," Benton said. "To Rose this isn't a hobby or a game this is her life." Benton shifted slightly as he spoke. "Her real life isn't university, friends or family. This is her real life: aliens, people dying, deadlines, tension and adrenaline," he said seriously. "It isn't something that a person can just jump in and out of on a whim or for fun." Benton looked Clyde right in the eye. "I value your courage and desire to save your planet, but did it occur to you that trying to protect you since your children would distract Rose and UNIT soldiers. Rose knows UNIT protocols and how things work so she works with and around us without issues."

"Then train us," Clyde said.

"No," Benton said, "We did that once and I'm not sure it was the right thing to do."

"But Rose saves the world," Rani said. "How could that not be the right thing?"

"I worry about how she fits into normal life," Benton said, "She doesn't have many friends despite the fact she is trying, she is closest to other people who know about aliens, she risks her life on almost a monthly basis and sees things that even I don't want to see. How is any of that alright for someone who isn't even twenty-one yet."

Clyde and Rani were quiet and Benton shook his head to himself. "This isn't a game kids, my men are ready to die if it protects Earth and I know that Rose is as well."

"Yes sir," Clyde said softly.

Benton looked at Rani who nodded quickly and then nodded. "Good, now that I've said that you two did a decent job here today." He pulled out a card and handed it to Rani and then another to Clyde. "This is my contact information, it is not to be shared, but if you come across something then call UNIT at once." He gave them a look, "Ask Rose she usually calls us just in case as well." Benton gestured for the two kids to follow him, "Colonel Mace will debrief you and set up your UNIT identification numbers. Then you will be returned home."

"Sarah Jane isn't going to like this," Clyde said in a low voice to Rani.

"Sarah Jane Chesterton-Smith UNIT ID number D6794," Benton said from ahead of them. "Remind her that if UNIT is going to change to listen more to nonviolent approaches and civilians than we do need civilians to occasionally listen to us as well."

The old medical wing had recently been refitted and Rose found herself sitting on a bed with her arm in a sling. Her shoulder had been relocated into place and she'd been given pain medication and an aspirin to keep inflammation down. All around her the wounded scientist and the few surviving soldiers were either being treated. Those with major injuries were in the helicopter on their way to the Tower hospital.

"Hi Rose," the soft voice of Toshiko said from the doorway.

"Tosh," Rose said with a tired voice. "Please tell me that you have some good news."

Toshiko smiled and set a bag on the bed with Rose before she unzipped it. She pulled out a laptop and opened it up. "I do have good news," Tosh said as she turned the screen towards Rose so she could see the sequencing code. "Luke and I both spotted the same thing and with Spock and K-9's help were able to replicate the reset switch. Once we knew what we were looking at it really wasn't hard."

Rose's eyes closed in relief and she took a deep breath. "When did you do it?"

"Malcolm finished just a few minutes ago," Tosh said gently. "He's working with the others to verify that UNIT's computers are alright and apparently Spock is running diagnostics on computer systems in the major cities."

"So why are you here?" Rose questioned. "I'm sure that Malcolm could use your help."

"He was worried about you," Tosh said with a small smile. "Benton called and said you had been injured." Tosh looked around at the others. "Doesn't look like things went well here."

"They didn't," Rose said simply. "The Judoon killed a lot of people and then got to leave Earth like he wasn't a murdered," she added bitterly.

Tosh reached over and squeezed Rose's hand. "I know Rose," she said gently. "It wasn't your fault."

"I know that," Rose assured her. "I just…" Rose shook her head, "I'm good Tosh," she promised.

Her mobile phone was sitting next to her on the bed and suddenly started ringing. Picking it up Rose gave a small smile as the word 'TARDIS' appeared on the screen.

"I'll talk with you later," Tosh said as she packed up her laptop and stood. "Take care of yourself okay?"

"I will," Rose promised even as her attention was focused completely on the phone."

"Malcolm will be wanting to talk with you about the Xylok soon," Tosh added.

"Okay," Rose said with a vague nod. "I need to take this."

"I know,' Tosh said before she reached over and touched Rose's shoulder. "You really did well you know."

"Thanks," Rose said before lifting the phone her to ear. "Hello?"

The chipper voice of Donna answered. "He's been pacing for the last twenty minutes!" Donna hissed, "I swear that-"

The phone was suddenly pulled away and the Doctor's voice came on. "Rose are you alright?"

"A few minor scrapes," Rose said softly. "I'm fine, but UNIT took a lot of damage."

"I know," the Doctor said through the phone. "I'm sorry, but this was one of those times that…" he trailed off. "It was important that humans do this one solo."

"I hate Judoon," Rose said after a moment her voice becoming small. "I hate Thane, but I also really hate them."

"I know," the Doctor said in a softer voice. "Now you know why the Shadow Proclamation thinks I'm just a legend. I avoid them like the plague."

"Yeah I understand now," Rose said as she eyes caught another body bag being moved into the medical wing. "There's so many…" Rose trailed off and gathered her thoughts before she asked, "Does it ever get easier?"

"No," the Doctor said with a soft voice. "It doesn't."

"I love you," Rose said to change the subject.

"And I you," the Doctor said gently on the other end. Rose took a shaky breath and laid out on the bed.

"So," she said when she was comfortable. "Tell me about your day."

The Doctor gave a light chuckle on the other end and started to talk about the corrupted empire being controlled by an alien merchant just looking to increase his profits in the area that he and Donna had overthrown. Rose let her eyes drift shut and focused on the Doctor's words instead of the body bags that were still being brought in. Malcolm, Tosh, Luke, Spock and K-9 had reset the coding damage, but there was no reset switch for the consequences and Rose just needed to escape that reality for a little while.


	12. Christmas Time: Torchwood Summons

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Twelve: Torchwood Summons

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: Happy Christmas to all! This is the first chapter of what will probably be a four part episode. Thank you all for the fantastic reviews for The World Killer! This episode starts off a little dark and creepy, but I promise that it will get better.

Christmas Eve was chilly with a light dusting of snow under a clear sky full of stars that seemed brighter than usually. To most people this would have inspired a quiet night of reading, playing games with the family or pulling out a telescope with the children of the family. Jackie Tyler however was not that kind of person which was why number 22 on Bannerman Road was bright with every light on and music was echoing out into the street. Fortunately for Jackie Tyler there were no neighbors to complain as the entire street had been invited tonight.

The living room was a mess of people moving around with plates of foods, drinks and chatting with their neighbors. A few streamers had been put up around the room and a large Christmas tree that Rose and Jackie had decorated three days ago dominated a corner of the room. In the dining room the table was covered with platters of food that Jackie and Rita had set out that neighbors had only added to as they joined the party.

Rose Tyler maneuvered her way through the throng of people carefully as she walked over a chair that had been pulled into the living room from the kitchen and sat down. She gently rotated her left shoulder and stretched out the muscles. Her UNIT doctor had allowed her to remove the sling only a week ago and had assigned her a series of daily exercises to strengthen the arm after four weeks of immobility, but Rose found the party making her a bit more tense than usual. Rose picked up the crackers she had made up with cheese and bit of meat and nibbled on the edges as her watched the party in front of her.

Rani Chandra sat down next to her a moment later with a wide smile on her face and holding a camera. In front of them the room was a mess of people Music was pounded in the room and Rose's eyes landed on the conga line that weaving its way through the house. It was no surprise to the blonde that her mother Jackie Tyler was at the head of the conga line with Gita Chandra, her partner in crime of roughly a year behind her.

"I got a great photo of the conga line," Rani said cheerfully. "Ten quid says they go out the front door and into the street."

"No bet," Rose replied. "With my Mum at the head of it that is a forgone conclusion."

Rani laughed and looked through another doorway and out to the dining room where her father was speaking with Johnny about some new computers the school was considering. Malcolm Taylor was standing in the corner of the dining room speaking in a low and excited voice with Luke and Ian while Tosh looked on with a smile. Jackie had a been a bit confused by Rose invited the scientist she occasionally helped and his 'assistant' Tosh, but hadn't argued with Rose's additions to the guest list. Rose also caught sight of Sharon and Shireen flirting with a man a few years older than them who was visiting his parents from his home in Bristol. The last she's seen of Sarah Jane and Barbara was with Rita-Anne in the kitchen.

"Any idea where Clyde is?" Rose asked a moment later when she failed to locate the boy.

"I think he went outside actually," Rani said with a shrug. "Why?"

"Just curious," Rose said before she stood up.

"How much longer til it goes outside?" the happy voice of Shireen asked as the brunette walked over to Rose.

"I put it within the next half an hour," Rose said. "Mum's getting that look." She turned back to Shireen, "Decided to let Sharon have him?"

"They are actually connecting," Shireen said with a shrug. "I just meant it as fun, but this might actually land her a date."

Rose looked over at Sharon who was now talking very animatedly with the man and smiled slightly. "Good for her," Rose said with a smile. She looked around the room and stood up after tossing the last cracker in her mouth. "I think I'll get some air," Rose said.

The way to the kitchen was congested with traffic as people got food so Rose turned towards the front door leaving Rani to snap more photos. Shireen however followed Rose through the mess to the front door. Rose snatched her and Shireen's coats from the hooks and went out the front door which she left only loosely latched in anticipation of the conga line leaving the house.

Clyde was sitting out at the street edge with his mobile and a jacket on. "Something wrong?" Rose asked as she walked over to him.

"no," Clyde told her with a smile as he stood up. "Just needed some air," he assured her. "And Luke was talking with Ian and Mr. Chandra about some kind of particle accelerator."

"I see," Rose said with a smile. "Bit sciency for you."

"Well you probably understand it," Clyde said with a nod to Rose, "But I certainly don't."

"I wouldn't be so sure,' Rose told Clyde. "You're a smart boy Clyde Langer and I bet you'd understand things like that if you wanted to."

"And there's the crux of the matter," Clyde said a grin. "Not really interested in the sciency bit, that's definitely Luke's department."

The front door burst open and Jackie Tyler led the conga line out into the front garden of her home and down the drive. Rose moved over the side as Jackie winked at her daughter as the line continued to dance and sing. Watching with a smile, Rose pulled out her mobile and recorded a quick video of half the street parading by.

"Gita!" Haresh Chandra called from the front steps. "You'll catch your death out there without a coat."

"Oh live a little Haresh," Gita's happy voice called back. "It's Christmas."

"It's freezing," Mr. Chandra muttered before going back inside. Clyde laughed and followed his head teacher back into the house.

Rose shook her head and put her phone back into her pocket. She turned to Shireen and said, "I'm going a take a little walk." She pointed the opposite direction to the conga line.

"You okay?" Shireen questioned.

"Yeah," Rose moved her shoulder again. "I guess the house being that crowded is just a bit much for my shoulder still."

"It takes time to recover from a dislocated shoulder," Shireen said. "That's what Sharon says anyway."

"UNIT will be very glad when she finishes school," Rose said, "I know she's on their recruitment list."

"Does that bother you?" Shireen asked as they started to walk down the street.

"Not really," Rose said. "UNIT does a good job of trying to keep medical staff out of harm's way and I know that they'd look after her." Rose looked over at Shireen, "You're on the list too."

"That's not surprising," Shireen said. "Counselors and therapists who can't deal with the idea of aliens aren't valuable to an organization like UNIT."

Rose nodded in agreement and they settled into a calm silence as they moved down the street a short ways. Then the silence was broken by two large black SUVs pulling onto the street. Rose gripped Shireen's hand and pulled her off the street and onto the sidewalk. The first SUV slammed on its brakes and pulled up next to them. The second SUV turned and parked almost in front of them at an angle.

Rose pushed Shireen behind her and shifted her weight, but didn't enter a full fighting stance. The passenger doors of both SUVs opened and two men in neat suits stepped out.

"Miss Tyler," the first man who was Caucasian, almost six feet tall with dark hair and eyes greeted. He pulled out a very official looking ID car with a T logo on it. "I'm Mark Peterson with Torchwood and I need you to come with us." He eyes went to Shireen. "Miss Bell this does not concern you please return home."

"Not bloody likely," Shireen said. "Rose doesn't work for you."

"Shireen," Rose hissed in warning.

The second man stepped closer to them. He was Indian and dressed in a suit as well, but didn't bother to introduce himself. "Miss Tyler you are a citizen of the United Kingdoms are you not."

"You know I am," Rose said as she resisted the desire to roll her eyes.

"Under Torchwood's royal charter you can be summoned at any time as a subject of the Queen," the man told her. "Please come with us at once, Miss Hartman is very anxious to see you."

Rose glanced between the two men, noting their posture and carriage. They were both trained in combat, well that or dance and given their line of work Rose knew which one was more likely.

"Alright," Rose said with a nod. "One second." She didn't want for an answer, but turned around and pulled Shireen a few feet away. "Go tell Malcolm about this," she told Shireen in a low voice.

"I will," Shireen promised.

"Give my mother some excuse for my absence," Rose said in a louder voice. "Anything you can manage so she doesn't worry."

"Okay," Shireen said with a nod that the Torchwood men could see. "Do you have your stuff?"

"Mobile and pen," Rose said softly. "And my wallet is in my coat pocket."

"Okay," Shireen said as she looked back at the Torchwood agents. "You'd better go."

Rose nodded and let go of Shireen's hand to rejoin the Torchwood agents. Peterson motioned her towards his car and opened the back passenger side door to let her climb in. Rose noticed the tinted windows as the door was closed and wished she could wave to Shireen, but her friend wouldn't see her. Instead Rose did her best to look calm for the driver who was watching in the rearview mirror. She buckled her seatbelt and gave him a quick smile.

Peterson climbed back in and Rose asked, "Any idea what this is about?"

"My orders are not to discuss it," Peterson said. "Hartman wants to talk to you herself."

"Lovely," Rose said as she leaned back in the seat. She watched her street vanish as the two SUVs started the trip to wherever they were going.

Shireen watched the SUVs pull away from the street and waited until they were out of sight before she ran back to the Tyler house. With the conga line working its way back up the street she was able to slip into the house and find Malcolm much more easily. The UNIT scientist was still deep in conversation with Luke, Ian and Tosh.

"Doctor Taylor," she hissed.

Malcolm turned to her with a smile, "Shireen I've told you to just call me Malcolm."

"Torchwood took Rose," Shireen said in a low voice.

Malcolm's smile vanished and his eyes hardered. "Torchwood took Rose?"

"They ordered her to come with them under the terms of their Royal Charter," Shireen explained.

"I need to call Benton," Malcolm said as he pulled out his mobile and headed for the back door through the kitchen.

"This is bad isn't it," Luke said softly as he looked at his grandfather.

"I don't know anything about Torchwood," Ian said gently. "But I'm sure Rose can handle herself."

"She can," Shireen said with a nod. "She'll be fine." But Shireen still looked worried and followed Tosh as the Asian woman moved to follow Malcolm outside.

They reached the Tyler's back garden in time to hear Malcolm say into his phone, "Yes sir Torchwood ordered Rose to accompany them under their Royal Charter." Malcolm nodded, "I know they never use it with UNIT personnel, but this time they did. I guess they aren't concerned about us not officially knowing about them anymore."

Shireen turned to see Luke and Ian coming into the back garden with worried expressions. "I see sir," Malcolm said, "Yes I'll ask. I'm sorry to call you on Christmas Eve." Malcolm shut the phone and turned to Luke. "Luke do you think it would be alright it I met Spock and he helped me hack Torchwood?"

Luke looked at Malcolm and smiled. "I think that's a good idea," he said gesturing for Malcolm to follow him out the garden gate. "Come on."

London flashed past her in the window as the driver and Peterson remained very quiet in the front seat. Rose didn't pull out her phone to check the time and just kept looking out the window. They finally slowed down when they reached an area near the water. A tall building towered over everything around it and Rose knew that it was where they going. The SUVs stopped in front of the building which was the only one in the area with any lights on. Peterson climbed out and opened Rose's door.

She didn't' have time to examine the building before she was rushed through the main doors and into a large white and black lobby. The place was very professional and had Rose not been familiar at least a little with Torchwood she would have simply thought it a regular business. The lift at the far end of the room opened with a ding and Yvonne Hartman stepped out. The blonde was wearing an elegant and professional black dress and had a wide smile on her face at the sight of Rose.

"Rose my dear," Hartman greeted with a wide smile. "I thought you'd never get here." The blonde woman pulled Rose's arm to lead her to the elevator. "I'm so pleased that you have finally made it here."

"I was brought here on your orders," Rose said sternly. "Apparently you can order any citizen here."

"We can," Hartman agreed as the elevator doors closed. "We don't do it often as it can attract attention and upset some people."

"Imagine that, being ordered about would upset someone," Rose muttered.

Hartman's face seemed to struggle to keep its smile as they climbed off the lift, but remarkably the blonde woman managed. "I think you'll like our facilities Miss Tyler. We do a lot more with alien technology than UNIT's labs do."

Hartman pushed open a set of doors and led Rose into a massive lab. A large ship was up on lifts at one end of the room and the whole place was full of different technology bits.

"Welcome to the heart of Torchwood," Hartman said with pride. "We have a motto: if its alien its ours. Anything that comes into the sky we strip it down and we use it. For the good of the British Empire."

"There isn't a British Empire anymore," Rose said.

"Not yet," Hartman replied with a smile.

"No," Rose said with a frown. "I know that there is a future Mexican Empire in four hundred years, the New Roman Empire in a thousand years and the new Russian Empire in one thousand three hundred years, but I'm pretty sure that there isn't a New British Empire."

Hartman's smile didn't falter as Rose walked over to one of the crates and looked down at the large heavy looking clamps inside it. She picked it up and tested the weight.

"Ah yes. Now, we're rather fond of these. The Magnaclamp. Found in a spaceship buried at the base of Mount Snowdon. Attach this to an object and it cancels the mass. I could use it to lift two tonnes of weight with a single hand. That's an imperial ton, by the way. Torchwood refuses to go metric."

"I thought Mount Snowdon was UNIT's territory," Rose said thoughtfully. "They've got a nice base there."

"This was before their base was built," Hartman said.

"Well these would be good for construction work," Rose said examining the clamp. "Cut down on a lot of accidents that's for sure."

"All these devices are for Torchwood's benefit. Not the general public's," Hartman said in a slightly patronizing voice even if she did keep her sweet smile on the whole time.

"So what do you want Hartman?" Rose asked. "You didn't call me on Christmas Eve to show off, especially since UNIT doesn't officially know you exist."

"Oh they know about us," Hartman said in a cheerful voice. "Have for years even if there is no official contact."

"Well I'm under contract with UNIT," Rose said. "So summoning me is a rather big step away from no official contact because their Scientific Advisor was at the party you called me away from."

"The Doctor?" Hartman asked with a teasing tone.

Rose gave her an unamused look and simply said, "No, not that one."

"Pity," Hartman said. "Torchwood has been wanting contact with the Doctor for decades. UNIT was a bit too protective of him when he lived on Earth for us to manage that."

"I can't see him wanting contact with you," Rose said calmly. "He likes UNIT because they're focused on planet Earth, no borders and no national bias."

"We must defend our borders from the alien," Hartman said.

"Funny thing is that from space there aren't any borders," Rose said with a smile. "Just one planet and the human species." Rose turned to Hartman and raised an eyebrow. "Tell me you didn't call me away on Christmas Eve to give me a recruitment speech."

Hartman tilted her head and looked at Rose carefully. "You're a bit different than I expected," she said.

"Hard to get an understanding of someone from a file," Rose replied. "Let me guess family information, as much of my history with UNIT and aliens as you could manage, my education history and personal contacts?"

"More or less," Hartman said with a nod. "I'd love more information obviously, but UNIT doesn't let my men anywhere close to former companions of the Doctor's and the Queen is fond enough of the Doctor to side with them."

"True," Rose said with a smile. "Elizabeth does like it when he pops round for tea." Rose smiled at Yvonne and asked in an innocent voice, "What about for you?"

"Follow me Rose," Hartman said in a tighter tone. "Why we called you here is through here." Hartman looked down at her watch, "I was planning on giving you an hour tour, but if you're in such a rush to get started then we'll get started."

Rose slipped her hand into her pocket protectively around her mobile and the sonic pen as she followed Hartman. She was led through a few corridors and doors until they reached a sealed room. Swiping a card key, Hartman smiled as the door opened and motioned for Rose to enter it.

The room was a sterile medical room with two rows of beds, one on each side of the room. Males were on one side and females were on the other, all with personal motioning equipment.

"All these people are in comas," Hartman explained. "They fell into them over the last month."

"I'm not a medical doctor," Rose said to Hartman as she glanced into the room. "What do you want from me?"

"One moment," Hartman said as she looked down at her watch. "Every hour on the hour like clockwork."

"What happens every hour on the hour?" Rose questioned turning ot Hartman.

"Rose Tyler," a collective voice said from behind Rose. She spun towards the voice only to find that every person in the room speaking her name in synch. "Rose Tyler."

Rose turned back to Hartman who smirked and said, "That's why I called you Miss Tyler. Everyone of these people was brought here because they keep saying your name."


	13. Christmas Time: Christmas Shootout

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Thirteen: Christmas Shootout

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: I hope everyone had a lovely holiday whether you celebrate it or just enjoy the day off! I'm visiting my folks so I'm not sure how quickly I'll be updating, but I'll see if I can't manage two chapters a week. Thank you for all your great reviews and well-wishes. I am currently visiting my family and having a wonderful time catching up with everyone.

Rose turned back to Hartman who smirked and said, "That's why I called you Miss Tyler. Every one of these people was brought here because they keep saying your name."

It took Rose's mind a moment to process Hartman's words and she was aware of Hartman watching her closely. Forcing herself to move, Rose walked over and looked at the first patient. She didn't recognize the middle aged man in the hospital gown so she moved on to the teenaged boy in the next bed. Again she didn't recognize him so she continued on until she had circled the whole room and returned to Hartman.

"I don't know any of them," Rose said to Hartman. "Any kind of connection amongst them?"

"Two things," Hartman said sounding a bit pleased. She gestured to a woman in a suit that was waiting at the side of the room. At Hartman's signal she came forward and handed Rose a file folder.

"Thank you Mary," Hartman said pleasantly. She turned to Rose and said, "I think it's very important to know everyone by name. Torchwood is a very modern organisation. People skills. That's what it's all about these days." Hartman smiled smugly and said, "I'm a people person."

"It shows," Rose said shortly with a touch of sarcasm before she opened the file. The first piece of paper was a map with the homes or work places of the affected people all within three square miles. "That's interesting," Rose said thoughtfully.

"It is isn't it," Hartman said. "We've searched of course, but haven't found anything unusual in the area." Hartman frowned slightly. "That's actually unusual in itself given its central London."

Rose said nothing and flipped through the file, glancing at the information on each of the victims hoping to find some kind of link. It looked random enough except for the location, but maybe they had all visited the same restaurant or shop.

"What was the second thing they had in common?" Rose questioned.

"Look at their individual bios," Hartman said in a smug tone. "Look at their birthdates specifically and the current picture of them."

Rose did as Hartman said, but frowned in confusion. According to his file the middle aged man in front of her was only in his thirties. The woman across from her that appeared to be near her seventies was only in her mid-forties. It was the same for all of them, they all appeared older than they should be. For some the effect was mild with only a few years being added on, but for others it appeared that whole decades had been drained from them. Rose looked around with a stunned expression.

"They've been aged," Rose said softly. "All of them."

"That's why they caught our attention," Hartman said. "That and them saying your name," Hartman added with a shrug. "Any thoughts on what this could be?" Hartman questioned.

"Nothing I've seen before did anything like this," Rose supplied politely as she closed the file. She looked over at the people and then back at Hartman. "Why tonight?" she questioned. "If these people have been here and saying my name for almost a month why did you call me Christmas Eve."

"We ran out of options," Hartman said smoothly. "The timing just turned out this way and I'm not content to leave them like this through the holidays."

"UNIT then," Rose said with a small smirk of her own. "You figured they'd be less likely to notice you took me on a busy holiday." Rose glanced around the room. "But Malcolm is rather protective and has sounded the alarm by now."

"I mean you no harm," Hartman said. "You are human and a British subject." She stepped closer to Rose and added, "Your experience and contacts could take you so much further in Torchwood."

"My contacts?" Rose questioned with a raised eyebrow. "You want the Doctor," she said in an amused voice. "I recommend that you let that idea go now. The Daleks, Cyberman, Sontarans and the Master could never hold him so you haven't got a chance. The only thing capturing him would result in would be the destruction of Torchwood. Know your limits." Rose smiled at Hartman and added, "And I quite like my position with UNIT thank you. I'm respected now and my ideas are taken seriously. I have good friends in Scientific Research, the new commanding officer is someone I consider a friend and I'm well paid for occasional consultant work that leaves me lots of time for school and travel." Rose looked at Hartman pointedly. "I'm not really a suit and desk sort of woman."

Hartman gave Rose another one of her charming smiled and said, "This isn't the whole operation Rose. We have all kinds of positions. You'd make quite the field agent defending England from aliens."

"I prefer to defend Earth from aliens," Rose said simply. "Focusing on national borders really isn't my sort of thing."

"Tyler," Hartman said with a touch of impatience. "We can do this like the civilized British women that we are or we can cause trouble for each other. Surely you see that this is far easier. After all Torchwood hasn't produced traitors like Colonel Adams or put you in harm's way."

"No Torchwood just sneaks around in the shadows," Rose snapped before forcing herself to calm down. "This just isn't my kind of organisaton, modern or not, Hartman."

"Why are you judging us so harshly?" Hartman asked with a curious and unhappy expression.

"You don't get it," Rose said with a shrug. "You don't really see what you're working with here. To you it is just powerful technology that can give you an edge. You don't see the potential danger the Earth, you don't see the aliens as potential victims, just enemies and you're not interested in the future of humanity as a whole." Rose shook her head, "UNIT has its flaws, but at least it gets it. Maybe it was the influence of the Doctor or other events, but they get why they should exist and understand the limits of that purpose." Rose looked at Hartman and shook her head before saying, "You don't Hartman. I think you're as likely to destroy the planet as save it because you'll poke at and try to use something you shouldn't."

There was a tense silence in the air that was ended by Mary stepping up next to Hartman and speaking in a low voice. "Three UNIT vehicles are outside with Brigadier General Benton and General Lethbridge-Stewart is on the phone on behalf of UNIT command. They are protesting the use of the Charter summons clause on one of their employees citing that her employment is of an international security concern."

Rose couldn't help herself, she did try, but she couldn't manage it so a smug smile of her own appeared on her face. "They couldn't have timed that better."

Hartman took in a quick breath through her nose and then turned to Rose. "Well it was a pleasure to meet you Rose and I do hope we see more of each other in the future." Hartman's eyes flickered down to the file folder still in Rose's hand, but she didn't say anything about it. "Mary please escort Miss Tyler downstairs to her ride."

"Yes ma'am," Mary said. "This way Miss Tyler."

Rose nodded to Hartman and followed Mary to the door. She paused and looked over her shoulder at the small crowd of coma patients for a quick moment. Turning back to Mary, Rose tried to focus on the layout of the Torchwood building, but was quickly taken to a lift. She slipped the folder on the coma patients inside her trench coat. It was only a short ride down to the lobby where Benton and several UNIT personnel were waiting tensely with Torchwood security. Benton's features softened with relief as Rose walked over towards them.

"Come along then Tyler," Benton said professionally.

Rose nodded and followed Benton outside and climbed into one of the vehicles. Benton joined her a moment later and sighed loudly once the door was closed. They were both silent until the vehicle began to move forward.

"What did they want?" Benton asked.

Rose looked at Benton for a moment and proceeded to tell him about the odd coma patients and Hartman's speeches about Rose joining Torchwood. While she could remember she recanted everything she could remember about the technology they had and the layout the building.

"Torchwood has been around for a long time," Benton explained once Rose had finished her story. "But I don't think the Doctor knows anything about them. For the most part they are just scavengers grabbing up bits of alien crashes or as you saw once trying to get their hands on actual aliens." Benton shook his head, "But over the last decade they've become more aggressive and have been suspected in some very shady things." Benton shook his head. "This was a strange move on Hartman's part. She must have been really certain she could convince you to join them or needed something else."

"Like what?" Rose asked.

"No idea," Benton said with a sigh and a shake of his head. "Well plus side you've seen inside the new building. We didn't have much information about it."

"New building?" Rose asked.

"Yeah Torchwood had that skyscraper built a few years back and has been working there ever since." Benton shook his head, "It's never made much sense to me."

"I'm sorry about your Christmas Eve," Rose said a few minutes later.

Benton laughed and looked over at her. "Better this than an invasion," he said. "Now that would put a damper on Christmas Eve." His face turned more serious and he said, "Rose if Torchwood is working on this problem then you should keep your distance. Torchwood has jurisdiction in this case as all the victims are UK citizens and they found it first."

"Finders keepers," Rose said softly. "I understand. I won't get UNIT into trouble."

Benton gave her a searching look, but seemed satisfied as he nodded to her. Then he settled back in his seat for the remainder of the ride. It was twenty-one thirty when Rose was dropped off at the end of her street. Down the road she could still hear music playing, but she could see neighbors from the party on their way home. Rose shook her head and waved over her shoulder to the UNIT vehicles before she started the walk home. Rose decided to enter through the back and entered the garden. She cast a hopeful glance at the spot that the TARDIS seemed to always land, but it was empty.

Her mother's laughter was echoing from the main room and she could hear the voice of Gita Chandra still speaking with her. Rose peeked into the living room to see several guests still drinking and eating, but no sign of Malcolm or Tosh. She climbed the stairs to her room and wasn't surprised to find Sharon and Shireen waiting upstairs for her while speaking in low voices.

"Rose," Shireen said with obviously relief as she leapt off of Rose's bed to hug her. "You're home."

"I'm home," Rose assured her. "And I'm fine."

"Malcolm looked really worried," Sharon said.

"Don't worry," Rose said with a reassuring smile. "Torchwood was just hoping to pull a fast one on UNIT by recruiting me and hoped with the holiday that UNIT wouldn't be watching as closely."

"So?" Shireen asked.

"Oh I won't ever join them," Rose said with a shake of her head. "They are a disaster waiting to happen. Someday they are going to pull off something really stupid like capturing an important alien whose planet invades to get them back or something." Rose shook her head. "It's a good thing they had nothing to do with Thane or the Judoon."

Rose pulled off her coat and tossed the Torchwood file on her desk. She turned back to her friends ignoring their curious looks. "Come on," Rose said cheerfully. "I'd better make another appearance at the party."

Her friends gave her searching look and Shireen glanced over at the folder that Rose had left on the desk, but both followed her downstairs. Jackie didn't seemed to have noticed Rose's absence and based on her face she'd had a few too many drinks. She and Gita were on the sofa in the living room talking far too loudly while Haresh looked on with a mixed disapproving and amused look. Rani was sitting nearby with Luke and Clyde speaking in low voices. Luke spotted Rose first and moved over to his quickly.

"Are you alright?" Luke questioned.

"I'm fine," Rose said with a smile. "Someone just broke protocol to talk to me and UNIT wasn't happy about it."

Rose looked over at Sarah Jane and nodded to the older woman to indicate that she was fine. She was spared from having to explain further by Rita Anne asking to some help in the kitchen. Rose obediently followed the dark skinned older woman into the kitchen and started helping with packing up left overs. Rita Anne was not a woman to waste anything. Mickey joined them in the kitchen a moment later and gave Rose a curious and slightly worried look. She gave him a smile and stack of dishes to start washing.

It was twenty-three o'clock at night when everyone had departed for the night and Rose had tucked her tipsy mother into bed. Rita Anne's room was dark and quiet and the house felt very still after the bustle of the evening. Rose rolled onto her side and looked over at the file on her desk. She'd tried to put the situation with Torchwood out of her mind, but she was connected to it. Torchwood might not be willing to force her to do anything because of UNIT, but she was now a part of it. Benton may have asked her not to, but Rose couldn't stop thinking that she needed to do something. The victims had said her name and Rose couldn't shake the feeling that this had been arranged for her benefit or her destruction which was far more likely.

She shoved aside her duvet and climbed out of bed with a sigh. It only took Rose a few minutes to pull on clothes and pack her coat pockets with the sonic pen, her mobile phone and a small torch. She picked up the file from her desk and quickly wrote a note to Jackie that she'd gone out to see some friends and would be home for dinner. Hopefully her mother would sleep in and find the note late in the morning. Given the alcohol she'd consumed it was rather likely and Rita Anne didn't take much notice of what Rose did. She'd just have to make sure she was home for dinner with her mum, Rita Anne and Mickey. Plus she was expected to visit the Chesterton-Smiths across the street this evening for their first family Christmas with Ian, Barbara, Johnny, Sarah Jane and Luke.

Starting up her jeep, Rose quickly pulled away from her home and into the street. She looked down at the file in the front seat and flipped it open to the map. Taking a deep breath she nodded herself and started the trip. While on the way she tried to determine who was capable of something like this. One name easily came to mind, the Silver Lord, who she knew at least had some influence over time. The Doctor had said that Chronovores ate time so maybe he was draining time away from people to eat. She shifted nervously in the driver's seat as she reached the center of the three square mile area. Quickly Rose parked the car on a side street and climbed out. She fingered the torch in her pocket with one hand as she started to walk around.

Rose had no idea what she was looking for as she wandered the street. She could see her breath along with that of other wanders, but the streets were quieting down as midnight approached. Finally Rose stopped and shook her head. "Why am I doing this?" she asked herself in a low voice. "Torchwood is already on it."

She turned to head back to her jeep when a light in a side alley turned on and illuminated a bit of graffiti in the alley. Rose stopped and a stared at the words Bad Wolf which were painted in a rainbow effect across the alley side of a building. Almost automatically Rose walked towards it. She noted that the front of the building was being rented by three small shops and had signs indicated a few professional offices, but the absence of lights on the upper floors told Rose that it wasn't used for flats.

There was a doorway near the Bad Wolf sign, but Rose hesitated for a few minutes. Finally she pulled out her sonic pen and unlocked the door. The inside of the building was warm compared to the outside, but the area she had stepped into showed signs of ongoing renovation. Rose dug the small torch out and stepped into the corridor.

The building was still and Rose's footsteps echoed on the tile floor as she walked slowly along, using the light of her torch to keep an eye out for other people or construction work. Rose had the feeling that she was being watched and quickened her pace as she headed for the occupied front of the building. With the sonic pen she quickly disabled the first camera that she spotted in the hallway.

The first floor of the occupied offices didn't yield anything that looked odd to Rose and she had to wonder if she would even notice anything out of the ordinary. Consulting a chart of the floors Rose decided to go to the top floor and work her way down from here. The highest occupied level was the fifth floor so Rose found a stairwell and climbed up.

The fifth floor was almost identical to the first with a few floor black floor rugs laid out on the title corridors in front of doors. Each door had either a sign or a nameplate next to it. A few doors had chairs and small tabled next to them to serve as waiting areas. The beam of her torch searched the area until it fell on a sign that said Wolf Consulting. Rose stopped in front of it and looked it over, it didn't look special at first glance.

Stepping closer to the door, Rose inspected the area as best she could. It was neat and tidy like all of the other rented spaces and in sharp contrast to the areas under renovation. A gold plate on the door under the sign simply read: Doctor Patrick Barnes. Pulling out the sonic pen, Rose unlocked the door and pushed it open. She stepped inside quietly and used her flashlight to look around. The office was normal enough with a desk in the center and a pair of chairs in front of it. A bookshelf dominated one side of the room and Rose stepped forward to look at it. The books made her blink in surprise because most were on advance physics and few on theoretical temporal mechanics. She turned back to the office and studied it with a critical eye. Then a small box on the desk caught her attention. It was metal with elaborate symbols on it that looked like an artistic design, but Rose knew better as her translator shifted the design into words. She carefully picked up the box and turned it into the light of the torch so she could read it.

"Rose," she breathed softly as she saw her name on the top of the box. "Can you solve this little problem?" she read out softly before turning the box again. "I've taken something precious to all of them." Rose shifted the box to read the third side. "It cannot be returned." The final side said, "What will you sacrifice?"

She stood there studying the box for a moment before she looked at the bottom of it and read, "The Silver Lord." Carefully she opened the box, but it was empty.

Rose slipped the box into her pocket after recovering from her surprise. She took a moment and locked the door behind her before spinning back the way she'd come. Rose checked once again for cameras as she walked back towards the stairwell. Rose turned into another corridor and smiled as she saw the stairwell door she'd used ahead of her.

Suddenly to her right a flash of blue light filled one of the rooms, it had no door so Rose could clearly see a field of energy in the center of the room. It shimmered for a moment as a humanoid form appeared. Rose blinked as the light cleared to see a tall light haired man appear in the hallway with his hand on a device on his wrist. Rose recognized the light show as a vortex manipulator like the one the future Eleventh Doctor had used.

He looked up at Rose and grinned at her. "Well this just became easier," he said as he pulled a gun from his belt. "Nothing personal," he said in a pleasant voice as he pointed the gun at her, "But business is business. Give me the box."

"The box?" Rose questioned with wide eyes as she struggled to keep herself from panicking. "What box?"

"I've been trying to get it for days," the man said. "But it had some kind of biological lock on it. I was altered when the lock was broken."

"Easy," Rose said raising her hands. "Just calm down."

"The box," the man repeated.

Rose looked down at the weapon in his hand. It wasn't anything special, just a normal weapon like the sort she'd been trained with. However she didn't doubt that he knew how to use it.

"How do I know you won't kill me?" Rose questioned as she tried to gage the distance to the stairwell.

"Give me the box and I let you live," the man said with a stern look.

"Okay," Rose said as she started to lower her hands. "Okay just give me a second."

The man moved a bit closer to her and Rose took a step back. "Easy," she said. "And please put that away. I'll give it to you."

The man gave her a hard look, but took a step back which gave Rose a bit more room. She reached into her pocket and gripped the sonic pen instead of the box. Her eyes landed on an unfinished wall light over the man's head. Quickly she whipped out the sonic pen and pointed it at the light. The wires sparked and crackled drawing the man's attention as hot electric sparks fell around him. Rose didn't wait to see the damage, but instead launched herself towards the stairwell door.

Rose flinched back behind the corner as another round of shots went off. Her mind was a whirl as she tried to figure out who was shooting at her. Torchwood came to mind and Rose wondered if Hartman had set a trap for her, but surely they would by UNIT's main suspects. They had been when the Tervtian ship had been attacked at UNIT HQ last year. She shook off that idea immediately; Torchwood did not have vortex manipulators. If they had Hartman would be mucking up history to ensure the preservation of her precious British Empire.

Rose tensed when the man became to rush down the hall towards her. Taking a quick breath, Rose pushed herself off the wall and to the doorway. Stumbling into the stairwell, Rose managed to catch herself and use the sonic pen to lock it behind her. It was cold and only a few of the lights were on, but Rose forced herself to move down the stairs as quickly as she could manage until she reached the ground floor. Behind and above her she heard banging on the door, but didn't stop to look up.

Rose let out a soft breath of relief as she reached the ground floor and tried to get her bearings. She knew she wasn't out of trouble yet as there was still an armed man in the building who was after her. The torch illuminated most of the hallway and Rose had to wonder how long it had been since the building had been occupied or the renovations had been actively worked on. She turned right and headed back towards the doorway she had used to enter. At least she knew the way from there.

There was another flash of blue light up ahead of her, but Rose only had time to turn to run from it. Another flash of light from a side corridor forced Rose to skid to a halt in shock and fear. A man jumped out of the side room to grab her, turning her body away from the bullet shots that erupted at the end of the hall. She heard a grunt above her head as her rescuer was hit and he moved her into the small side corridor

Rose looked up as the grip on her loosened. A dark haired handsome man was looking down at her with a mixture of worry, happiness and amusement. He pushed her away from him and leaned around the corner with a gun that Rose only had a second to notice before he fired it.

The dark haired man turned his eyes back to her and grinned even as the gun shots echoed in the halls. "Captain Jack Harkness at your service Rose Tyler." He gave her a flirty smile and added, "And I do mean at your service."

Rose gaped at him, but he turned his attention back down the hall. Jack reloaded his gun and emptied another clip down the hallway, smiling when there was the sound of cursing. Rose flinched at a few more gunshots in the distance and heard the strange man grunt in pain as he moved closer to the corner. Her eyes flew to his right shoulder where blood was seeping from a wound. He shoved her away from him, around the corner as he raised a gun in his left hand and fired three shots. Jack ducked around the corner to join Rose, but caught her hand as she reached for his wound.

"Don't worry about it," he told her with a smile.

"You were shot," Rose insisted looking up at his face for a moment before looking back to the wound.

A soft golden light shone around the wound and Rose watched in shock as the blood vanished and the wound closed right before her eyes. The glow faded away and she looked up to see Jack smiling at her in amusement.

"I told you not to worry about it," he said cheerfully as he loaded another clip into his gun. "Just give me a moment to deal with these idiots."

Jack swung around the corner and fired off the six shots in the clip while Rose looked around to see if there was someplace she could escape. Her rescuer clearly wasn't human or at least not her kind of human so she could only assume she'd gone from the firing pan and into the fire. Spotting a doorway marked with an exit sign down the side corridor, Rose rushed for it ignoring Jack shouting after her. The shooting behind her stopped suddenly and she heard Jack shout for her to wait, but she kept running.

Rose used the sonic pen to open the door and burst out into the cold night air. She glanced around trying to figure out which side of the building she was on in relation to the main street. Taking a breath she listened for the sound of traffic and headed towards it, staying close to the building so she didn't get lost in the strange area. She turned a corner and saw the Bad Wolf graffiti and started to run for the main street.

The door she had used to get inside burst open and the blond man rushed towards her. A gunshot ripped through the air and Rose froze in shock, sure that she had been hit. The blond man stumbled forward gripping his shoulder in pain. Rose looked past him to see the dark haired man, Jack, standing with his gun trained on the strange blond man. The center part of Jack's shirt was dark with blood and the blond man looked over his shoulder at him in shock. Then the blond man seemed to recover and raised his gun towards Rose, but Jack was faster.

Rose flinched back as the blond man dropped to his knees only a few feet from her with a small bullet wound in his forehead. Gasping, Rose moved back from the body and looked up at Jack. The dark haired quickly put his gun back into its holster and raised his hand. "I'm not going to hurt you Rose," he promised. "I came here tonight to save you from him," Jack motioned down to the corpse. "He was going to kill you so he could get the Silver Lord's box. That enemy of yours made it so only you could take the box. Torchwood didn't even notice it."

Rose watched the man carefully as he moved over to the corpse and pulled off the vortex manipulator. "Problem with the Time Agency closing," he muttered. "All sorts of people are getting their hands on these."

"Who are you!?" Rose demanded as she straighter herself up.

"Captain Jack Harkness at your service Rose Tyler." He gave her a flirty smile and added, "And I do mean at your service."

"Spare me," Rose hissed as she lowered her right arm to call forth her sword.

"I go by Jack Harkness," the man said in a more serious tone with a soft smile. "I'm a friend of yours. You sent me here tonight to help you stop the Silver Lord."

"I sent you?" Rose questioned.

"You won't survive this without me," Jack said very seriously. "And that is not a pickup line. The Silver Lord means to kill you tonight and I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen."


	14. Christmas Time: New Old Friend

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Fourteen: New Old Friend

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: Happy New Year everyone! Your reactions to Jack were fantastic and I am thrilled that I've made it this far in the series. A huge part of that is all of your great support. It really is stunning to me that I'm on my second full series of Doctor Who episodes so thank you all for all your encouragement.

"You won't survive this without me," Jack said very seriously. "And that is not a pickup line. The Silver Lord means to kill you tonight and I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen."

Rose gaped at Jack trying to decide if he was being honest with her. Strangely her normal instinct to fight or put distance between them wasn't activating. She barely noticed the blood stained into his shirt fade away in a soft golden glow that dissipated a moment later.

"That's a nice trick," she said softly as she stared at the now clean and crisp fabric.

"It is isn't it," Jack said with a soft laugh of amusement and relief. "We need to get moving."

He reached for Rose's hand, but she quickly moved away with a few quick steps backwards into the alley. "Do you honestly expect me to go with you?" Rose hissed before gesturing at the corpse. "You shot him! He's dead!"

"He was going to kill you Rose," Jack said in an urgent voice. "I couldn't let that happen. Trust me! I did what I had to do in order to save you."

"You want me to trust you?" Rose gasped, "I don't even know you."

Jack seemed surprised by her words, but nodded a moment later and pulled his hand back. "I guess you don't," he said gently. "This is our first meeting in your timeline, but not in mine." Jack gave her a soft smile. "When I first meet you Rose you believed in me when I saw no reason for you to do so. You were my friend from the start even when I made it pretty hard to trust me." Jack grinned and added, "You even defended me to the Doctor. I'm not sure who was more surprised me or him."

Rose glared at Jack and said, "It's not uncommon knowledge that I know the Doctor."

"True," Jack said. "But it isn't common knowledge that you are in a romantic relationship with a future version of him partially because your future-self has disappeared. Even if you recently saw her after her return to the TARDIS which proved to you that you will come back from whatever happens."

Rose refused to react to the words. If he was from the future and this was some kind of trap then he'd probably know that. Jack sighed softly and glanced around to check that no one could see them with the dead body. He turned back to her and said, "Your name is Rose Marion Tyler. You were born on 27th April 1986 to Peter and Jacqueline Tyler. Your father died when he was hit by a car when you were just an infant. Your UNIT ID number is D547 and you currently live at number 22 Bannerman Road when you aren't at school in Cambridge."

Jack smiled at her and continued to speak, "Your best friends after the Doctor are Shireen, Sharon and Eve. Your favorite colour is turquoise, your favorite food is chips and you love tinkering. You like fantasy novels, especially Tolkien, but with your life style you find most science fiction dull. You keep letters from Eve and the Doctor in a hollowed out copy of the Time Machine. You're a fan of the original Time Machine movie and once told me that if you could use three books to rebuild civilization you'd use How Things Work, the complete works of William Shakespeare and Siddhartha. You like watching bad science fiction movies to pick them apart and when you do it with the Doctor you two can't stop laughing. You use your translator to watch foreign films so you get the full effect without subtitles. You love to paint imaginary worlds as well as those you've seen so you never lose your imagination even in sight of everything you get to see in your life."

Jack took a step towards Rose as he watched her face soften and become more vulnerable. "You're very kind and generous," he said gently. "You have a great capacity for forgiveness and try to find the best in everything around you. You're very loyal and don't give up on your friends or family. Part of you has a hard time trusting others in a crisis as it can make you vulnerable or put someone you care about in danger, but you still try. I know that sapphire around your neck was a gift from Jane Grey, someone you couldn't save. And I know that right now even as you face new dangers with the assurance of a future with the Doctor you are still very frightened of getting things wrong." Jack reached out a touched Rose's shoulder. "In short Rose Tyler you are a very strange person, but a great pleasure to know."

"Who are you?" Rose whispered.

Jack smiled and said, "A friend with a vortex manipulator from his Time Agent days. I know how to travel in time without causing damage to time lines." Jack took her free hand and tugged it gently. "Come on we need to get out of here."

Rose didn't fight Jack as he brought her back to the street. He looked up and down the quiet street.

"Where's your jeep?" Jack asked.

Rose pointed down the street and managed to say, "About two blocks that way."

Jack nodded and led the way, not releasing Rose's hand and keeping his eyes tracking the entire street as they walked. They moved quickly and Rose took a chance to study Jack more closely out of the corner of her eye. He was very attractive with a charming smile, but he carried himself like a soldier. Someone who was highly trained and remained aware at all times of what was around him. Her gaze dropped to the wrist where his vortex manipulator was kept. It looked like a wide leather wrist band, the sort of thing that wouldn't attract much notice. Rose wondered if Jack was the friend the Eleventh Doctor had borrowed the vortex manipulator he had used from. It fit she realized and helped her calm down a little more.

When they reached the jeep Jack snatched Rose's keys from her hand and climbed into the driver's side while ignoring Rose's glare.

"Trust me," Jack said as she glared at him. "I know where we can go to think and talk."

Rose huffed, but climbed into the passenger side with no further complaint. Jack smiled to himself and started up the car. He looked down at the clock and then at Rose. "Happy Christmas," he said with a grin.

Rose glared down at the clock and couldn't quiet help her own smile. "Happy Christmas," she returned with a little smile towards Jack who returned her smile with a full grin.

He drove them away from the area quickly, taking side streets in a direction that Rose was not familiar with. As the lights of London move past her window Rose pulled out the box and studied it.

"Don't open it," Jack said quickly glancing at her from the driver's seat.

"It's empty," Rose said with a hint of confusion. "I opened it earlier."

"Did you touch the inside?" Jack asked urgently.

"No," Rose said now even more confused. "What does that matter?"

"In a few minutes I'll explain," Jack said. "But I want to be away from this area first."

Rose wanted to argue and demand answers now, but the tightness around Jack's mouth and the way his grip tightened on the steering wheel gave her pause. She looked down at the small box and considered the words on it once more.

"Rose, can you solve this little problem? I've taken something precious to all of them. It cannot be returned. What will you sacrifice?"

Jack's reaction to the box only worried her more and Rose settled for slipping it back into her pocket for the time being. She sat back in her seat and looked out the window trying to find landmarks or streetsigns, anything to give her a sense of where she was. They were actually near the Torchwood building, Rose realized as she spotted the skyscraper in the distance to the right of them, but it didn't seem to be Jack's destination. Suddenly, Rose's phone rang pulling her form her thoughts and observations. She pulled out the mobile and accepted the call without bothering to check the caller.

"Hello?" Rose answered as she rubbed her tired eyes.

"Hello Rose," a male voice said on the other end. "It seems you found my puzzle box."

Rose instantly woke up and straightened automatically in her seat. "Silver Lord," she greeted as calmly as she could. "You sound different," she observed.

"New body," the Silver Lord replied calmly. "My native form doesn't exactly blend into your world very well."

"So you're what possessing someone?" Rose questioned, trying to sound casual even if she was extremely angry at the notion.

"Oh don't worry," the Silver Lord says. "Once they are suppressed their brain pattern sort of fades away. I suppose they die, but they aren't aware of what I'm doing for long. I liked the irony of his research expertise."

"You're hideous," Rose growled into the phone.

"Occasionally Rose," the Silver Lord replied with a chuckle. "So have you figured out what I've done?"

"You've eaten some of their time," Rose said. "You are part Chronovore after all."

"Indeed, but not enough to remove them from the timeline like most Chronovores do as I'm sure you remember. No I drained them based on what I needed to survive each day, sometimes a bit more and sometimes a bit less."

Rose glanced over at Jack. He kept looking between her and road, but kept driving. "So what do you want Silver Lord."

"Well I want you dead," the Silver Lord said. "I considered a gun, but that seemed too inelegant. Not to mention I'm certain that the Guardians would find a way to bring you back so I needed to find something more creative and permanent."

"Explain," Rose said sharply.

"Those people are in temporal shock from the rapid drain of their temporal energies. I've aged them and they will never wake up unless you save them," the Silver Lord said in a calm and smooth voice that caused Rose to shiver. "I did it to attract your attention. They will die because you made me your enemy. The box is very special and will drain your life force, your time, into itself. If the box is then opened near my victims some of their time will be returned and they will wake up. The box will only accept your life energy and no one else's. So will you save them or write this off as a failure, it is your choice and I look forward to it."

The line went dead and Rose slowly took the phone away from her ear. She looked down at it and tightened her grip around it. Suddenly Jack turned a quick right and Rose looked out the window to see they were in a warehouse district. Jack drove up to a warehouse and stopped the jeep in front of it.

"Wait here," he said before climbing out. Quickly he walked over to a door and pulled it open before returning to the jeep. They pulled inside the cold and dark building and he maneuvered the vehicle so the front was facing the open doorway. Jack parked them a ways back, turned the heat up and flicked on the interior light.

"Alright," Jack said. "We'll be alright here for a bit."

"He said I could save them," Rose said softly as she pulled out the box. "Is that what you meant about him meaning to kill me."

"Yes," Jack answered honestly. "This is a trap for you. He knows enough about you to know that you'll try to help these people."

"He said the box will only take my life force," Rose said.

Jack reached over and pulled the box out of her stiff fingers. He examined it for a moment before he opened it carefully. Then he lowered one finger into the box and touched the sides, but nothing happened.

"Well that answers one question," Jack said as he carefully closed the box.

Rose slumped back in her seat and looked over at the box in Jack's hand. "What can I do?" she asked in a quiet voice. "I don't want to…" she trailed off for a moment before saying, "I don't want to leave them like that."

"He knows that," Jack said in a dark voice. "In fact he's counting on it."

Rose thumped her head against the cushioned head rest of her seat and then shook her head. "Damn the Silver Lord," she hissed.

"If you surrender your life energy then the Guardians may not be able to bring you back," Jack said thoughtfully as he turned the box over in his hands. "Bringing someone back from the dead is hard, but doable. Life is a just a spark of matter, but the body still needs to have certain energies left in it."

"And this will drain all of that," Rose questioned. "So I couldn't be brought back."

"Maybe," Jack said thoughtfully. "I'm sure he'd do his best to make sure that you couldn't just be brought back."

"Or maybe it's a bluff," Rose said as she took the box out of Jack's hand, but she didn't open it. "Maybe he figures I won't do it."

"Or maybe he figures that you'll believe that and let it kill you," Jack said with a frown. "Worse yet is what he's done has attracted attention. That man who tried to kill you for the box was a former Time Agent, like me."

"What's a Time Agent?" Rose asked glancing at the vortex manipulator.

"Time Agents worked for the Time Agency which will exist from the 49th century to the 52nd century. We'd travel in time to ensure certain events played out according to history, occasionally change small things and recover historical treasures." Jack shook his head, "the problem was that a lot of agents went rogue over the years and started causing trouble. That one I killed had a history of selling technology out of its time and going after strange things." Jack looked over at Rose and added, "Believe me he would have killed you."

"I wonder if the Silver lord meant for that to happen?" Rose asked herself.

"Meddling with time can cause ripples to those with the technology to watch for it," Jack snorted. "The TARDIS pays a lot more attention to such things than the Doctor."

"So that's how she figures out where to go," Rose said with a laugh and a smile. They both chuckled, but Rose sighed a moment later. "What can I do Jack?"

He tapped the steering wheel and then glanced back over at Rose. "I've got an idea, something you said when you asked me to come."

"What did I say?" Rose said, but Jack just smiled.

"Timelines," he said with a wink. "Can't know too much in advance." Jack shifted the jeep into drive and looked over at Rose. "Back to Torchwood I think."

"Back to…." Rose blinked at him. "Are you crazy! Those people can't get ahold of this or your vortex manipulator."

"Do you trust me?" Jack asked as he drove the jeep towards the warehouse entrance.

Rose looked over at him as he stopped the vehicle right outside their hiding place. Jack met her gaze without any hesitation. Slowly Rose nodded and said, "Yes I trust you."


	15. Christmas Time: Christmas Kisses

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Fifteen: Christmas Kisses

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: Sorry for the delay on this chapter. I've been super busy with the New Year starting at work and ill. I hope you all enjoy the end of this episode and I'll get the next one started as quickly as I can. Thank you for the sweet messages I got asking about my health, I'll take that as a sign that I do a good job with updates.

Jack parked Rose's SVU a few blocks away from Torchwood and looked up at the building with a strange gaze. Rose was under the impression that Jack was seeing something that she wasn't, but she looked up at the skyscraper anyway. It was a nice design she supposed, hiding the huge near warehouse rooms that she had seen and blending into London as just another office building. Then again, she thought, the current UK UNIT HQ was hidden under the Tower of London.

"Odd place to build something that tall," Rose said lightly.

"They had reason," Jack said calmly in reply, but Rose thought she heard an undercurrent of anger. "Alright," Jack said turning to her with his charming smile back in place. "Shall we."

"What's your plan?" Rose questioned as she unbuckled her seatbelt and put her hand on the door. "You do have a plan right?"

"Most of one," Jack said with a shrug and a grin. "But don't worry I won't let anything happen to you," he added with a much more serious expression.

"You worry a lot," Rose observed in a teasing tone, trying to sound calm and relaxed.

"I know you," Jack answered with a tiny smile tugging at his lips. "Come on then," he said as he climbed out of the driver's side. Rose nodded and climbed out, walking over to join him.

"So," she asked, "Plan?"

Jack pulled back the cuff of the long grey coat he wore to reveal his vortex manipulator. Rose remained silent as Jack pressed in a series of numbers that meant nothing to Rose, but greatly concerned Jack. She supposed after a moment of watching that they were the location and time programming code for the device, to tell it when and where to go.

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Rose stepped forward and examine the vortex manipulator a little more closely. Jack's was mounted in what appeared to be a leather case attached to a wrist strap. It looked to be the same one that the Doctor had used to get to the fake funeral. After another moment he seemed pleased with the calculations and turned to look down at Rose.

"That took a bit longer than usual," he said cheerfully. "But I had to make sure of the landing point." Jack held out his hand to her. "Shall we?"

"I'm not too fond of vortex travel without a capsule," Rose observed.

Jack sighed dramatically and said, "I know it's not the TARDIS, but it works in a pinch."

"Just as long as you admit that," Rose replied taking the offered hand.

Jack pulled her against him and wrapped a hand around her waist. Remembering that last time she used one of these things, Rose wrapped an arm around Jack's back and one around his neck. Realizing the closeness of the position, Rose blushed lightly and ignored Jack's chuckle.

"Here we go," Jack said before he pressed the button with the hand wrapped around Rose's waist.

The world disintegrated around them in strange colors as they shifted from the usual plane of existence into the time space vortex. The air was forced from Rose's lungs at the sudden chill over her body, but it was over just as quickly as it started. Objects became to form around them, but it was too dark for Rose to see much of it. Jack's grip on her loosened and she stepped back only to hit a wall. It was extremely dark and her hand went into her pocket for her torch. Light suddenly flooded the small space and Rose saw Jack's hand at the cord of a light bulb fixture. She blinked at the light and gave her eyes a moment.

"A broom closet," Rose said softly as she looked around. Sure enough they were a few mops, a bucket and a shelf full of other cleaning items next to Jack.

"No cameras in here," Jack said in a pleased tone before winking at Rose. "I always knew I'd get you in a broom closet one day."

"Keep dreaming Captain," Rose replied with a smirk. "So we're inside Torchwood, now what?"

"According to the layout I have, there is a camera right next to us." Jack held out his hand and shifted towards the door. "Sonic pen please."

Rose didn't hesitate to pull out the device and hand it to Jack. As he disabled the camera after opening the door a tiny bit Rose realized that she hadn't hesitated. She pushed the realization away and waited until Jack opened the door the rest of the way. He moved over to a wall and used the sonic pen to turn off another camera. Nodding to himself, he handed the pen back to Rose.

"Are they disabled?" Rose asked. "Won't the guards notice."

"Setting 14b," Jack explained. "The camera is looping. It won't last long, but it will give us a chance to get past. Let's go," Jack said in a low tone. Rose noted that he'd tensed up slightly and had a serious and calculating expression on his face. She nodded in agreement, but didn't say anything to disturb the silence.

They crept through the still hallways until they reached a section that Rose recognized from earlier. Jack pulled out the pen again and used it on one last camera before he walked across the hallway to the door of the medical wing. He glanced through the small windows before looking back and gesturing for her.

"Aren't there any staff?" Rose whispered as she joined him and looked into the room.

"Probably just one or two in a side room," jack said softly. "Pen."

Rose handed him the pen again and watched in silence as he looped the two cameras in the coma patient room.

"We don't have long," Jack said to her. "Five minutes at the most before the cameras resume normal transmitting." Jack shook his head, "I keep telling him to improve that."

The door to the medical wing opened silently and they walked inside. Rose could hear two voices speaking around a corner. Jack crept forward and carefully looked around the corner. Sure enough it was a small, but comfortable break room. He carefully closed the door and used the sonic pen to lock it without either of the people inside noticing.

Tossing the pen to Rose, Jack rejoined her in the center of the room. "Okay now to save these people."

Rose pulled out the box and held it out for Jack. "How do we do this without the box?"

"We don't," jack said as he looked at the patients. "We use it exactly as the Silver Lord intended. You put your fingers in there and the energy is transferred to these people."

"That's your plan?!" Rose hissed, barely remembering the nearby medical staff.

"Let me finish," Jack said quickly. "You've seen my little healing trick."

"Yeah," Rose said glancing to the shoulder that had healed itself. "So?"

"It's not as simple as my body just healing itself. I was infused with life energy a few years back and I can share it with other people so it becomes their life energy."

"So you can… recharge my life force?" Rose questioned weakly. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," Jack said with a nod and a little mischievous smile. "Trust me?" He asked once again.

Rose looked down at the little box in her hands and then around the room. The only sounds were the medical machines monitoring the patients and the muffled voices in the next room.

"I promise you'll be alright," Jack said warmly. "We'll take care of this and get you back to your Mum to enjoy Christmas day."

"If this doesn't work…."

"If I had any doubts Rose we wouldn't even be trying this," Jack said. "I'll be honest, your life means more to me than saving these people."

Rose stared at him for a long moment before dropping her eyes to the box. Jack gave her a moment and started programming something else into his vortex manipulator. The box's words were still clear to her with the translator, but Rose could feel the sinister tone in them. She looked up from the box and over at one of the beds. She didn't know these people, but…

"Okay," Rose said. "If you're sure. I'll trust you."

"That's the Rose I know," Jack said as he put his hand under the box to hold it steady. "Just keep your fingers inside of it.

Rose nodded and opened the lid. Her hands shook, but Jack didn't mention it. "How does this transfer work then?" Rose asked as her fingers hovered over the ridge of the box.

"Like this," Jack said just before he leaned forward to kiss her.

Rose nearly pulled away in shock, but then felt the strange pulsing at her lips. It felt almost like a static charge, but not as strong. She felt Jack's free hand gently push her fingers into the box.

The inside of the box became to glow, drawing golden light from Rose's body through her fingers. The letters on the sides became to glow and pulse with the energy. Jack gently released Rose's fingers and brought his hand to back of her head to hold her gently in the embrace. She wasn't responding at all to the kiss. Caught between the energy loss and the energy gain of the Silver Lord's trap box and his unique ability she was wavering on her feet. Sensing Rose's weakness, Jack slowly knelt, lowering them to sit on the floor. His knee kept Rose elevated off the ground as he leaned over to keep kissing her.

Opening an eye, Jack looked at the box which was still cradled in his hand and noted the glow in the characters. Rose's hand was nearly white and looked aged and withered. Jack was about to pull her hand loose when a flash of light forced him to close his eyes.

The box shimmered brightly before exploding in a shower of light. The physical structure of the box vanished in a cloud of golden particles. They flowed through the air in the room, rushing towards the coma patients. In the staff room there were sudden cries and banging on the metal door as the machines around the room began beeping and setting off alarms.

Jack released Rose's lips and studied her. She looked exhausted, but managed to open her eyes and look up at him. The brown in them was dull and off colour causing Jack to frown.

"Let's try this again," he said softly, ignoring the sounds of the patients waking up in a panic. He leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers.

Rose felt the kiss this time and the gentle flow of energy didn't seem as intense or overwhelming. The chill in her body faded and she was able to move her arm away from the tile floor where the box had been to grip Jack's shoulder. At her touch Jack broke the kiss and looked down at her again.

"Much better," he said with a smile.

"Did it work?" Rose asked in a slightly hoarse voice.

"Yeah it did gorgeous," Jack replied with a grin.

Rose paused, she could hear the people in the room starting to stir and the machines going crazy. She shifted to stand up, but Jack slipped his hands under her knees and around her back and stood up. Rose squeaked and wrapped her arms around Jack's neck.

"Guards are coming," Jack said as he looked out the window in the door. "Time to go."

He shifted Rose just enough to press the button on his vortex manipulator. Rose buried her face in his neck as the world fell away around them, feeling too tired and weak to watch the journey through the vortex. She was certain it would make her sick to her stomach.

The world rematerialized and they were back at her waiting vehicle. With some careful movement Jack set Rose in the passenger seat. She managed to buckle herself in and looked back towards the Torchwood building as lights throughout the building started to turn on. Jack climbed in next to her and started the vehicle. He looked over at her and gave her a soft smile.

"Let's get you home," he said.

"I'm alright," Rose promised him as she sat up a little straighter. "I can feel my legs again."

"It'll come back fast," Jack said with a nod. "I didn't know it would affect you that much."

"You are talking about the box, right?" Rose asked with a teasing smile.

Jack laughed and took a right to get them away from Torchwood. "No I was talking about the kiss," he said.

"Well you definitely give fairytales some legitimacy." Rose observed before looking over at Jack, "You haven't spent time with the Grimm Brothers have you?"

"You should read the original stories some time," Jack said with a smile of his own. "Might find out some new things about the Big Bad Wolf."

Rose glared at him and said, "Now you're just teasing me."

"That I am," Jack said softly. "Close your eyes Rose and try to get some rest."

"When do I meet you for the first time?" Rose asked.

"I can't tell you that," Jack said. "Timelines and all that."

"Which Doctor?" Rose asked. "Can you tell me that."

"Big eyes, blue eyes and leather coat," Jack answered with a smile.

"What happened to the box?" Rose asked as she glanced at Jack to see if he had it.

"It's hard to explain," Jack said. "It wasn't a box of metal or something like that. Once it had enough energy to activate the box itself became a cloud of particles, each carrying temporal energy for the purpose of delivering it to the humans."

"So there's no risk of Torchwood getting it," Rose verified.

"Nope," Jack said. "And while I'm sure they will suspect that you had something to do with this, there is no evidence that you were there."

"Good," Rose said with a nod. "I really don't like Hartman."

"Smart girl," Jack agreed with nod.

They fell into a comfortable silence as Rose leaned back in the seat. She stretched and flexed her fingers. The joints felt stiff, but her skin looked healthy and she felt fine if tired. Jack seemed to know the way to Bannerman road without any prompting from her and Rose was content to watch her mysterious future friend and look out the window.

The last of the tension flowed out of Rose's shoulders as the turn onto Bannerman Road appeared in front of them. Turning to Jack she smiled and said, "You really didn't have to drive me home you know."

"He'd kill me if I didn't make sure you got home safe," Jack replied with a smile of his own. Rose didn't have to ask who he was.

"From what I've seen today you can't be killed," Rose quipped.

"If there is one being in the universe who could figure out how to kill it, it's the Doctor," Jack replied with an amused tone that told Rose he really wasn't concerned about it. "Besides," Jack said, "I'm a gentleman."

"Right," Rose said seriously. "A perfect gentlemen you."

Jack grinned at her statement and Rose couldn't help but smile in return. A comfortable silence took over as Jack drove straight to her home and parked her SUV in the drive.

"Home sweet home," Jack said before looking down at the clock. "And you've got enough time to get a good night's sleep and pass it off as a Christmas Day late morning. You'll feel back to normal after a few hours of sleep."

Jack turned off the SUV and handed Rose her keys before climbing out. She followed suit and quietly shut the door of the vehicle. Looking over at the house Rose noted that the lights were off inside, but she could smell the alcohol on the air. The front porch light was on, giving Rose enough light to see. An examination of the front garden revealed decorations strewn in the bushes and few discarded plastic glasses on the steps.

"Jackie does know how to throw a party," Jack said coming up beside Rose. "Shall we?"

"What you need to walk me to the front door?" Rose questioned, raising an eyebrow. "My legs are fine now."

"I'm a gentleman," Jack said as he held out his arm to her.

Rose chuckled and shook her head, but accepted his arm and allowed him to walk her up to the front door. Jack waited while Rose unlocked the front door and smiled when she turned back to him.

"Thank you," Rose said brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "If you hadn't been here…." Rose trailed off and gave a nervous shrug. "Well I might have done it anyway and died."

"That's why I came," Jack said gently. "Sometimes you've got to be protected from your own compassion."

"Is that a bad thing?" Rose asked softly.

"No," Jack said with a warm smile. "Not at all. Never let that change Rose Tyler. The Doctor and I have gotten pretty good at managing that trait of yours."

"Managing?" Rose questioned in a sweet voice. "I'm sure you meant that as a compliment Jack Harkness and it just came out wrong."

Jack laughed, a warm and low laugh that made Rose smile. Jack's eyes glanced above her head and he grinned widely, but before Rose could look to see what had caught his attention Jack said, "Well I should be saying good night."

"Good night Jack," Rose said, returning her attention to him.

There was no warning before Jack pulled her close and kissed her firmly on the lips. Rose gasped into the kiss in surprise and felt her body being dipped back in Jack's arms. The stray realization that there had been mistletoe above the door went through her mind, but a bit too late.

A moment later she was set back on her feet and Jack released her lips. He stepped back with a grin as Rose gathered her senses. "I can't believe you did that," Rose gasped at Jack. "You can't pass that kiss off as saving my life."

"Mistletoe," Jack said simply pointing above her head. "One tradition that I love."

"You know I'm with the Doctor," Rose said, but Jack's relaxed posture and smile made it impossible for her to actually feel any anger.

"Yes I do," Jack said with a nod. "And when he comes by to see you later for Christmas be sure to tell him about this. He's got that possessive side to him." Jack's grin became wider. "You can thank me later."

Rose flushed and looked anywhere but Jack's face. He chuckled and she felt him step closer again. There was a soft brush of lips against her forehead and she felt something be slipped into her pocket.

"That's the number for my superphone," Jack told her. "I have yours and I'll be in touch."

Rose forced herself to look up at Jack, shrugging off her embarrassment. "Thanks again," she said. Rose lifted herself up on her toes and kissed Jack's cheek before turning to walk inside. She paused in the doorway and looked back at him. "Happy Christmas Jack."

"Happy Christmas Rose," Jack returned with a grin. "I better go," he said. "I'm famished and you're expecting me for Christmas dinner."

"Am I now?" Rose asked. "Hopefully I hid all the mistletoe."

"You wouldn't do that to me," Jack replied with a grin.

They both stood there another moment as Jack studied her. "Take care Rose Tyler," he finally said. "I'll see you down the timeline."

He turned and walked out the drive as he rolled up his coat sleeve. Rose watched as Jack fiddled with the vortex manipulator and then vanished in a blue swirling light. Looking up at the mistletoe Rose shook her head, trying to decide just how to tell the Doctor about this. The thought was amusing and with a smile on her face she closed the door and made her way up to bed. Happy Christmas indeed.


	16. Christmas Time: A Good Night

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Sixteen: A Good Night

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: I wasn't originally going to write this, but a lot of my best reviewers asked for it so I figured I'd add the cherry on top of this year's Christmas Special. Much cuter than last year's as I promised. Wow that is weird and cool to say… last year's. Plus I'm still working on research for the next episode as it deals with some Aboriginal concepts that I want to give proper respect to. I'm done now onto the fluff. I give this a cavity warning of three on a scale of one to five.

Christmas Day went as expected as far as Rose was concerned. When she finally pulled herself out of bed Jackie and Rita Anne were already downstairs and cleaning up the carnage. Her mother was sipping water as she straightened up the house, but her hang over didn't seem to be very bad. Rose busied herself in the kitchen getting the dinner preparations started. Everything in the house ran smoothly as the three women went about their tasks calmly.

It was quite different from last Christmas, Rose reflected to herself as she placed the turkey into the oven. Last year she'd been so caught up with the mysterious brooch that she hadn't helped much with the cooking. Rose chuckled to herself, this year's crisis had occurred mostly on Christmas Eve. Once the turkey was in the oven Rose excused herself to rush over to the Chesterton-Smith house for their little gift exchange. Barbara and Ian were in town to celebrate Christmas with their son, daughter-in-law and grandchild, doting over Luke. Rose could already tell that the boy was going to make out like a bandit due to his grandparents. The two hours she spent with them were pleasant, but Rose decided against telling them about the events at Torchwood. She didn't quite know how to describe or explain Jack or his weird ability with living energy. Plus Torchwood was dangerous and she wasn't in a hurry to pull anyone else into that mess.

Mickey showed up a little after noon to see his grandmother and join in the family activities. As usual Rita Anne made several not thinly veiled suggestions that Rose and Mickey date. When Mickey suggested that she was seeing someone Jackie had turned her full attention on her daughter. Rose had just enough time to glare at the smirking Mickey before assuring her mother that she wasn't hiding a boyfriend in Cambridge. It wasn't completely a lie since the Doctor definitely didn't live in Cambridge. Her mother gave her a suspicious look and Mickey utterly failed to hide his smirk. Dinner was a loud affair with crackers and rapid conversation among the four of them despite the fact that they often saw each other. Rose relaxed and enjoyed the calm, even though she was half waiting for a phone call from Torchwood or UNIT.

Gifts were a simple affair, despite the improvement in the Tyler's fortunes Jackie still retained a simplistic money saving side to her. Rose received several new shirts that Jackie thought would complement her and a selection of art supplies from Mickey. Rita Anne was pleased with her new electronic reader once Mickey promised to teach her how to use it.

The evening was almost too quiet and calm for Rose. She knew that she should be grateful for it, but after the extreme events of Christmas Even and the early hours of the morning the day didn't feel complete. Mickey departed in the late evening with some of the leftovers and a promise to take Rita Anne out for Boxing Day. The elderly woman had gone upstairs to rest and Jackie was in front of the telly watching a Christmas special. Her laughter echoed into the kitchen and made Rose smile as she finished the last of the cleanup.

Rose had just finished the last of the dishes and packed up the final leftovers when she heard the familiar wheezing noise. Looking out the back window into the garden Rose watched with a smile as the TARDIS materialized. She grabbed the small notepad Jackie kept in the kitchen and wrote a message to her Mum saying she'd gone to visit friends and would be home later. Rose used a magnet to put the note on the fridge where her Mum would see it and headed for the back door.

She slipped up to her room to grab her coat, mobile, sonic pen and the gift she'd made for the Doctor this year. After months of keeping her eyes open for something for him, Rose had finally given up and figured out something to make. Rushing back downstairs, Rose glanced into the living room to verify that her mother was still enthralled with her show. Satisfied that all was well Rose slipped out the door out to the garden and approached the TARDIS.

The door opened right in front of her and she was greeted with the smiling face of her brown-eyed Doctor.

"Happy Christmas," Rose greeted with a warm smile.

"Happy Christmas," the Doctor greeted with a bright grin of his own. He stepped to the side to let Rose enter the warm TARDIS before leaning down to kiss her.

Rose smiled against his lips and deepened her kiss, wrapping her arms around the Doctor. His presence was warm and comforting. Her Christmas now felt complete. When they parted she smiled up at him.

"Hello Doctor," she greeted sweetly.

"Hello Rose," he replied with a grin. "How was Christmas with you Mum?"

"Good," Rose said with a nod. "I just wish you could join us," she added with a slight sigh. "But I know that's not your thing."

"No actually I've don Christmas with Jackie," the Doctor said mostly to himself. "Took a while, but she did figure out that she wasn't going to get rid of me." The Doctor shook his head and quietly finished, "I haven't gone around to see her recently….." the Doctor sighed, "I probably should."

"Mum's still around when I disappear?" Rose questioned before shaking her own head. "I should have assumed that. Is she okay?"

"She's fine," the Doctor said quickly. "Just angry with me for not being able to tell her what happened. At least the last time I saw her I was able to promise her that you would be back, but she doesn't really understand timelines enough to get that."

"Try watching Back to the Future with her," Rose said. "If there is one movie that should make it easy it's that one."

"Well we are talking Jackie," the Doctor said with a smile that faded when Rose gave him a look. "Uh why are we even talking about your mother when we haven't seen each other in a while?"

Rose chuckled and leaned up to kiss him again. "I have no idea," she said when she broke the kiss.

The Doctor grabbed her hand and pulled her up the console with a delighted smile on his face. "Where's Donna?" Rose asked as she glanced around for the ginger woman.

"Christmas with her family," the Doctor said. "Dropped her off for a few days visit."

"Do you like the Nobles?" Rose asked curiously.

"Well Sylvia, her Mum, doesn't like me. I have terrible luck with mothers," the Doctor muttered before he brightened, "But Wilfred is a good sort, he's Donna's grandfather and he gets it." Rose smiled at the warmth in the Doctor's voice. "He and Donna are probably driving Sylvia spare right now."

Rose noted the warmth in the Doctor's voice when he spoke of Wilfred. "When I get back," she said, "I want to meet this Wilfred."

"First thing I promise," the Doctor said with a smile before he shook his head, "Well second… no third thing I promise." The Doctor gave her a sheepish smile. "I doubt I'll want to let you leave the TARDIS that quickly."

Giggling, Rose joined the Doctor at the controls and kissed his cheek. "You can be surprisingly sweet sometimes," Rose observed.

"Speaking of sweet," the Doctor said turning to her, "Give me your phone."

With a curious expression, Rose handed the Doctor her mobile and watched as he simply entered in some information. She'd honestly been expecting an upgrade or him tweaking the extra technology he'd put into it. Rose accepted back her phone with a curious expression and started scrolling through the contact list to find what the Doctor had added. Her eyes widened as she noted the new entry which simply read: Eve.

"Eve?" Rose breathed as she looked up at the Doctor.

"I gave her a supercharge mobile this morning," the Doctor said with a smile. "Now you can call and talk with her." The Doctor's grin faded a little and he added, "I'm not sure why I didn't think of that sooner."

"So I can just call her?" Rose asked, "Just to talk?"

"That's the point," the Doctor said with a teasing smile. "I know she's one of your best friends."

Rose grinned and grabbed the Doctor's tie, pulling him into a passionate kiss. She slipped the phone back into her pocket so she could wrap her arms around him.

"Thank you," she said when she ended the kiss, enjoying the Doctor's slightly stunned look for the moment it lasted.

"You're welcome," the Doctor said brightly.

"Speaking of friends…." Rose started before trailing off nervously.

"What?" the Doctor questioned, a worried expression settling over his face.

"I met Jack," Rose said quickly. "There was this thing with the Silver Lord and he showed up to save my life which involved kissing me so please don't overact!" Rose finished very quickly.

However the Doctor seemed to still understand every rushed word. His eyes darkened and he led Rose over to the chair, gesturing for her to sit down. He crossed his arms and looked at her as she shifted awkwardly in the chair.

"Jack kissed you?!" the Doctor demanded. "I've been over this with him!"

"I did mention the Silver Lord didn't I?" Rose questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Jack was just saving my life. Otherwise I would have been drained of my life energy."

"Kissing is not the only way to transfer that energy," the Doctor huffed. "Jack knows that, I've just yet to see him use any other method." He crossed his arms and looked thoughtful.

Rose smiled at the Doctor's reaction. "You're cute when you're jealous."

"I am not jealous," the Doctor defended making Rose giggle.

She titled her head and grinned at him. "I tell you that Silver Lord was active in London and Jack had to save my life and you focus on the kiss rather than asking about the Silver Lord was doing."

The Doctor blinked and looked a bit sheepish, but did a good job hiding his reaction. He leaned back against the console and looked at Rose. "You're alright aren't you?"

"Course," Rose replied.

"Then tell me what happened," the Doctor said with a soft smile.

"As you wish," Rose replied before launching into the story of meeting Torchwood. The Doctor's body tensed at the name and Rose made a note to ask once she was done with the story. She watched the changing emotions on the Doctor's face and noticed the small smile when she mentioned Jack's rescue. The smile vanished when she recounted Jack dropping her off at home.

"Mistletoe," the Doctor growled. "He'll take any excuse won't he."

"So is he your enemy?" Rose asked with smile. "You're sure acting like it."

"Jack is… Jack," the Doctor said with a shrug. "He defies any other label."

"I can see that," Rose said. "He's a good friend isn't he?"

"Yes," the Doctor admitted with a shake of his head. "He just enjoys irritating me."

"So does Donna," Rose replied.

"Donna doesn't try to sleep with you and me." The Doctor said before shuddering at the thought.

"Well," Rose said as she stood up and stepped up to the Doctor. "I can't speak for you obviously, but you're the only one I'm interesting in sleeping with."

The Doctor smiled and kissed her quickly. "I think my answer is obvious," the Doctor said softly. "After all I need you in my life so much that I'm jumping time lines to see you."

Rose's smile softened and she kissed his cheek before whispering, "I'll be back Doctor. We know I'll be back."

"Doesn't mean I'm not going to worry in the meantime," the Doctor said.

"That's fair," Rose said. "I worry about you too."

"Why?" the Doctor asked in a lighter tone. "I'm good at getting out of trouble."

"Yes and that's why you're on your tenth body," Rose observed with a smirk.

"Touché," the Doctor chuckled. "Anyway Christmas trip," the Doctor said cheerfully. "Have you finished reading the Simillarion?"

"Last week," Rose said with a curious expression. "Why?"

"Well I thought you might enjoy the Hobbit films, first one will be released in 2012."

"Hobbit films?" Rose questioned. "Plural? But the book only takes two hours to read and is so…. basic. How can there be multiple movies?"

"It was written as a prequel to the Lord of the Rings," the Doctor said cheerfully. "They took events recorded in the Simillarion that were happening at the same time as the story in the Hobbit and put them in."

"Like the White Council?" Rose questioned with a touch of excitement. "Seriously?"

"Yeah and Radagast the Brown even shows up," the Doctor frowned slightly. "Mind you he seems very familiar to me for some reason."

"So how many movies?" Rose questioned.

"Three," the Doctor said with a smile. "In 2017 there is a special showing of them in London on Boxing Day."

"Sounds like fun," Rose agreed with a grin.

The Doctor turned to the console and adjusted a few of the controls. Rose stepped back to take hold of the rail as the TARDIS began to dematerialize with a shudder. She grinned as the Doctor half danced around the controls making his adjustments.

"Here we are," the Doctor said. "But we've got some time," he said reaching for Rose.

"Oh, time for what?" Rose asked innocently.

"Time for me to reinforce you staying with me and not going off with Jack," the Doctor said before he dipped Rose's body and kissed her. Rose's last fully coherent thought was that she'd have to thank Jack the next time she saw him.

Next Time on Doctor Who: Time and the Trickster

Brigadier Benton handed Rose the file and said, "The evidence suggest that your old enemy Apep has made it to Egypt. We don't know what he's up to, but Geneva agrees that you're the right person to go."


	17. Land of the Pryamids: Return of a Snake

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Seventeen: Return of a Snake

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN 1: Those of you who read the season 2 trailer may be disappointed to hear that I changed the episode line up. Most notably is that the Australia episode has been pushed back to next season in order to facilitate the season arc I have in place. (Yes I'm going there, be afraid). I was really sad to have to push it back, but I needed the episode slot to expand one of the episodes into a two-parter without altering the 13 episode set up. I'm also going to start doing a next time trailer at the end of each episode like I did in the last chapter so that you have a better idea of what is coming up.

AN 2: Yes, I never said what Rose made the Doctor as I want to leave that up to you, but feel free to tell me what you think she made him. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Canon does a lot of little mysteries so I thought I'd throw in a little cute one.

Rose Marion Tyler was bored. It was early January, a bright new shining year: 2005 and she was bored waiting for the new term at Cambridge to start. She'd stayed in London for something to do and after Christmas had kept herself occupied for a whole week visiting some museums, going out with Shireen, Sharon and their university friends and helping Malcolm and Kate with an experiment at Unit HQ, but now as the month dragged on she was simply bored. She regretted not making arrangements to go someplace for the last bit of her holiday. She'd considered a trip to Greece, but hadn't followed through with the idea. Now she regretted it as she lounged on her bed shading a recent drawing of an Egyptian artifact she'd admired during her trip to the British Museum last week.

Pausing in her work, Rose listened to the soft sounds of Rita Anne downstairs with some of the neighbors playing a card game. Her mother was at the flower shop with Gita and the house had a lazy atmosphere that she just couldn't take anymore. Standing up from her bed, Rose pulled on her boots and reached for her bag and jacket. The ringing of her mobile broke the heavy quiet of the house and Rose snapped up the phone eagerly.

The number of UNIT HQ flashed on the screen; better yet it was the extension of Brigadier Benton's office.

"Hello this is Rose," she answered quickly trying to hold back her excitement.

"Tyler," Benton greeted seriously. "I'm afraid that I need you to come in immediately. A priority situation has arisen."

"I'll be right in. Are you sending a car or should I drive myself?" Rose questioned.

"Yes, the car will be there in twenty minutes," Benton said seriously. "And pack a bag, I'm afraid that you'll be traveling for this one."

"Where?" Rose questioned, now very curious. UNIT hadn't sent her anywhere since Horath Academy. "And how long?"

"Just a couple days if all goes smoothly," Benton said. "You're going to Egypt. I'll explain more when you arrive."

The call ended as Benton hung up and Rose blinked at the phone. "Uh thanks," she muttered with slight irritation at the Brigadier's rather rushed order.

She should have been irritated at not being asked if she wanted the job, but honestly she was too excited to care. Rose tossed the phone into her bag and started rushing around the room to pack. She dug out her passport and double checked that she had her debit card, sonic pen and super phone. Pulling a bag out of her closet, Rose tossed a few days of clothes, including a pair of nicer slacks and a blouse, but wasn't sure what else to bring.

It wasn't until Rose was downstairs with her bag to meet the car that the reality of the situation fully hit her. She pulled out her mobile and dialed her mother's number, but there was no answer. Rose grimaced slightly as her call went to the answering machine, but managed to quick message.

"Hi Mum, uh this is going to sound a bit mad, but I'm going to Egypt. I'm sick of being bored so I'm on my way to the airport. I'll swing home on my way back to school and call you once I get settled on my trip. Love you, bye."

Rose hung up with a sense of guilt, but shoved it away. She was an adult after all and in theory could run off to another country if she wanted to. Normally she'd have at least given her mother some warning, but Benton's tone suggested a major problem. Rose scribbled a note just in case Jackie didn't check her messages right away and left it on the entry table, pausing to wave at Rita Anne and the other older women she'd gathered in the living room. A moment later a black car pulled up in front of her house and Rose dashed outside and climbed in. She set her bag next to her and smiled when she saw that Ross was her driver.

"Hello Ross," Rose greeted.

"Morning Rose," Ross replied with a nod as he pulled the car away from the curb. "I hear you're off to Egypt."

"Do you know anything beyond that?" Rose asked. "Benton didn't say much to me over the phone."

"I afraid I don't know anything beyond the basics," Ross said as he turned off Bannerman Road. "There was a red alert this morning from Egypt and the UNIT division down there reported trouble to Geneva. What that has to do with you I'm not sure."

"So are we going to HQ?" Rose questioned.

"No Rose," Ross said with a shake of his head. "My orders are to take you to the UNIT airstrip outside of London. The Bridger is on his way there and we'll meet up with him on the way for your briefing."

"Anything else?" Rose asked.

"That's all I know," Ross said. He added a moment later," Mickey says hello."

Rose chuckled and nodded, "Say hello for me when you return to HQ."

"Well do," the private replied with a smile and a glance in the review mirror. "Rose?" Ross asked a moment later in a nervous voice. "May I ask you a question?"

"You can ask," Rose said already guessing at the question.

"Are you dating the Doctor?" Ross asked. "There's a lot of talk at UNIT about the two of you."

"Nothing better to do?" Rose asked with a raised eyebrow. "That's a sad idea."

"You didn't answer," Ross observed.

"Nope," Rose replied popping the p slightly. "I didn't say I would."

Ross smiled a little and returned his focus to the road. Rose settled back into the seat and noted the different route that Ross was taking away from Bannerman Road. She supposed it said something interesting that Ross knew the area so well. The familiar streets became unfamiliar shortly before they pulled onto one of the freeways to take them from London. Everything rushed by and Rose nibbled on her lip absentmindedly as she tried to determine what kind of threat would cause UNIT to send her oversees. She was a consultant that was very really called in for real even if UNIT usually did pay her the fee when she stumbled into something and took care of it herself. In fact Rose could only think of a handful of aliens that UNIT would feel the need to call her in for: the Silver Lord, Apep or Thane and with the location being Egypt Rose was already certain she knew who was the current alien threat.

The car slowed down and pulled off of the road towards a small shop where Rose noted a UNIT vechile was parked. They stopped next to the vehicle and Rose smiled as Brigider Benton climbed out along with one of his aids. They walked over to her car and the aid opened the other passenger door. Benton slid into the car and nodded to Ross.

"To the airstrip," he said as his aid climbed into the front with Ross.

"Yes sir," Ross said quickly with a nod. They pulled away from the pickup point quickly and smoothly.

"Good morning," Rose greeted Benton with a small smile that made the Brigadier's serious expression soften a tiny bit.

"Morning Tyler," Benton greeted with a nod as he held a folder out to her. "I apologize for the lack of details this morning, some things are best not discussed over a civilian line."

Rose took the folder with a curious expression and opened it to see a long list of dates and names. The next page included photographs that turned Rose's stomach slightly, shriveled up humans in front of Egyptian looking objects. They looked like unwrapped mummies at the British Museum, but had modern clothing.

"Egypt UNIT has reported a strange series of deaths at the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cario. So far they've been able to prevent the public from finding out about these death in the museum, but last night they were finally able to get a clue as to what is going on," Benton said. "An energy signal not from anything on Earth was transmitted from somewhere in the museum, just for thirty seconds, but it verified that these deaths are because of aliens."

Benton sighed and reached over to flip a page in the folder. The image in front of her was of an strange grave mask in the form of a serpent head that Rose recognized at once.

"The evidence suggest that your old enemy Apep has made it to Egypt. We don't know what he's up to, but Geneva agrees that you're the right person to go," Benton said. "The trouble started when that artifact was brought out of storage and put on display last month. With Orisian abilities we can't be sure just what it can do?"

"Has it be removed from display?" Rose questioned.

"First thing this morning," Benton said. "Unfortunately the two men who helped move it dropped dead within five minutes of completing the task."

"Did their bodies…. You know?" Rose questioned, unsure of how to describe the strange effect.

"Yes," Benton said with a tight frown. "UNIT Egypt is trying to get the museum closed, but there is resistance to it due to the value of tourism in Egypt."

"How long has the mask been in the museum's possession?" Rose questioned.

"That I don't know," Benton said. "You'll have to ask when you get there."

"Any suggestions about working with Egypt?" Rose asked. "I know their ancient mythology, but not their modern culture."

"You'll be fine," Benton assured her. "They know you are coming because you've been successful stopping this alien before. I doubt you'll be out in the city much without their staff."

"Alright," Rose said with a nod before turning her attention back to the information. "I'll see how I can help."

"Good girl," Benton said with a small smile. "Kick his arse this time so he doesn't come back."

"I'll see what I can do about that," Rose agreed with a small smile. "I getting tired of his too."

They arrived at the small UNIT airstrip soon after. Personally Rose was surprised they didn't just have her fly commercial. It wasn't like a university student going to Egypt for tourism would attract much attention, but she wasn't going to argue with the comfortable private plane that she was quickly brought to. Rose sat down and buckled up as she kept reading the information Benton had been provided with from the Egypt division.

The list of dates and names had been the dates and objects that people died around. Thus far Rose couldn't see a pattern in the artifacts. Most of them were very old according to the file, but didn't come from the same dig sites or even the same pharaoh reign. Rose considered if it were possible that people didn't die right away in front of the artifact affecting them, but if they might collapse after a few minutes by something else. She turned another page as the plane became take off. One the Egyptian staff had already tried to find a link between the victims and any items near their death. Almost all of the deaths had taken place near first dynasty items, the sort were most likely connected to the Osirians. This report also noted the various rules and regulations that those working with the objects had to follow such as not touching the objects directly and the packing materials that were often used. The condition of the artifacts believed to have connection to the Osrians were listed with their conditions. Rose smiled at the good work and glanced to the top of the report: Professor Amina Chalthoum, she hoped she'd have a chance to talk with the professor about her observations.

Rose finished the thick file within an hour. There were a lot of observations, theories and concerns, but no one had a definitive answer for what was happening or why. Rose's best guess looking over the photos of the bodies was that Apep was draining the life from these people like he had tried in New York. The question of why remained since he had failed to revive Sekhemet, unless he had found another Osirian. Rose shook her head, no sense in going through what ifs until she could see the museum herself and get a feel for what was happening. Rose leaned back and closed her eyes, hoping that she wouldn't get to Egypt and find that someone else had been killed.

A touch on her shoulder woke Rose up and she turned to see the UNIT co-pilot smiling at her. "We're about to land Miss," he said pleasantly. "Please sit up."

Rose nodded and put her seat back into position and double checked her seat belt, stunned that she'd slept so long. A glance down at her watch told her that she hadn't really been sleeping long, she supposed the plane just made better time. The UNIT co-pilot returned to the front of the plane and a few minutes later Rose felt the distinct dropping of the plane as they started descending into Cairo.

Leaning over, Rose looked out the window as the last of the clouds vanished. Below her she could see a large sprawling city with a river she knew to the be the Nile splitting it in two. The building gleamed in the sunlight, a rich golden color that turned white as the plane changed angels. Shifting slightly, Rose looked out beyond Cairo and gasped softly as the sudden transition to desert that she could see in the distance. The pale tan color stretched to the horizon and was unlike anything Rose had seen before. She briefly wondered if she'd be able to convince Benton to let her stay a few extra days to do some site seeing, probably if she took care of her expenses and getting herself home.

The plane bumped slightly and Rose gripped the armrests as they changed direction, now moving in a slow arch towards the ground. Rose glanced out the window again to see that they were approaching the landing. She could now make out some minarets rising above surrounding buildings and a great variety of color in the city. Rose swallowed to pop her ears and watched out the window calmly as the plan finally touched down. She waited a few minutes before she unbuckled her seat belt and picked up her bag. Moving over to the far side of the plane, Rose peeked out and spotted a vehicle with the UNIT emblem on it waiting nearby. The plane came to a full stop and the co-pilot came out from the cockpit.

Standing up, Rose made sure she had her things and slipped the file into her bag. She waited impatiently while the stairs were lowered. Pulling on a pair of sunglasses Rose walked outside and bit back a gasp at the wave of heat that met her. It may have been winter in Egypt, but it felt like summer to Rose.

A tall Egyptian man in a UNIT colonel uniform walked forward to meet her and gave her a quick salute. "Agent Tyler, welcome to Egypt. I am Colonel Mostapha, I am the division second-in-command." The Colonel gestured and a beautiful woman with dark eyes, wearing a suit and a headscarf walked up to them. "This is professor Amina Chalthoum, our division's scientific advisor."

"A pleasure to meet you Agent Tyler," Professor Chalthoum said shaking Rose's hand.

"Just Rose if you please," Rose replied with a smile. "It's nice to meet you as well."

"Then please just call be Amina," the professor said with a warm smile.

"Do you require rest Agent Tyler?" Colonel Mostapha questioned.

"No thank you," Rose said quickly. "I'd rather go the museum at once and see if I can't help you sort out what is going on."

"Do you believe it could be Apep?" Amina questioned.

"Yes," Rose said with a nod. "He tried something like this before in the U.S., but I'm not sure what exactly he is up to this time."

They climbed into the SVU that was waiting for them and sped off into Cairo. Under other circumstances Rose would have been thrilled to be in the city, but as it was she was only mildly excited at the new experience and mostly worried about just what the old snake was up to.


	18. Land of the Pryamids: City of A Thousand

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Eighteen: City of a Thousand Minarets

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: This chapter is a little late due to some last minute episode changes. I had a great dream that gave me some really nasty ideas and worked really well with the series arc so here we go.

Rose hadn't been sure what she expected from Cairo. When she'd first been told she was going to Egypt she'd naturally thought of the pyramids and sand rather than a city itself. She'd been prepared for a city half way between its ancient history, local culture and modern engineering like La Paz had been with cars and donkeys side by side away from the major streets. Yet her first real look at Cairo was a packed six lane street full of cars all speeding along and turning off on various streets. Modern building, small green parks and lots of pedestrians lined the busy street on both sides. Their UNIT driver maneuvered through the traffic smoothly and expertly while Rose found the tightly packed cars more intimidating than any driving conditions she'd ever driven in. Mosques caught her eye on and then as they drove for the museum, their minarets reaching above many of the new modern buildings in the area creating a sense of reverence even from the architecture.

"What do you think of my country thus far?" Amina asked from next to Rose.

"It isn't what I expected," Rose admitted.

"It rarely is what Westerners expect," Amina said with an amused smile. "They mean no offense by it, but I think they forget that modern life must continue even around our ancient treasures."

"Well it looks like that easier here than in Rose," Rose observed as her turned to Amina, "There they can hardly build a thing without discover some new ruin that has to be protected."

Amina smiled and nodded her agreement at the statement and turned to Colonel Mostapha who was sitting across from them, studying Rose carefully. The Colonel nodded to Amina and cleared his throat to get Rose's attention.

"There are a few more details you should know," Colonel Mostapha said. "UNIT's presence in Egypt is very limited because of the politics in the region. UNIT because of its connection to the UN is seen as a very Western entity and is only tolerated in the area because our division is staffed with locals as much as possible."

"I see," Rose said with a nod, wishing now that she knew a bit more about Egyptian government. "Is that likely to be a problem with me being here."

"Hopefully not," Colonel Mostapha said. "It was necessary to bring you here for your experience in dealing with Apep. If nothing else he hates you and may stop hiding when he discovers you here."

"Ah so I'm both here to advise and as bait," Rose said with a raised eyebrow.

"I mean no offense," Colonel Mostapha said firmly. "But UNIT activities in Egypt are much more independent of our local government than England's are." The Colonel shifted a little uncomfortably, "President Mubarak is not a good man and if he knew about the technology that UNIT comes into contact with he would no doubt try and use it."

"Which is why it is so critical of our role in Egypt that we quickly clean up any alien messes and get the technology moved out of the area," Amina said. "We cannot have these deaths become interesting to Mubarak's government."

"You think he's abuse it?" Rose questioned.

"The man's government already uses routine torture, illegal detention and military courts to ensure it gets its way," Amina said with a dark look. "The UN doesn't want to risk leaving alien activity in Egypt to the local government, but it also doesn't want to risk delivering something dangerous into the current leadership's hands."

"I understand," Rose said with a nod. "I'll do what I can to get this over with as soon as possible."

"Good," Amina said looking down at her watch, "We'll be at the museum a bit before closing. I suggest you go in as a tourist and start learning the layout and the displays. Once they close at seven we'll get something to eat while the staff clears out and I'll take you inside to look at the artifacts in question."

"Your bag will be taken to a nearby hotel," Colonel Mostapha said before reaching into his pocket. He pulled out an envelope and handed it to Rose. "This is the local currency, staff at the museum speak English to Westerns so you shouldn't need your translator."

"I keep it on at all times just in case, but that's good news," Rose said. "I'll attract less attention that way." She slipped the money into her shoulder bag in a back pocket with her passport to keep it safe. Pulling out her mobile Rose asked, "Can I get numbers to contact the two of you in case something changes?"

They finished entering mobile numbers and verifying a meeting place just as the SUV pulled out in a side street. Amina informed Rose that they were two blocks from the museum. Rose looked down at her watch, it was just past 17.00 or 5 as the Egyptians seemed to use American time. She quickly jumped out of the SUV, leaving her bag behind as per the Colonel's instructions and started moving towards the museum.

The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities was a large red brick building with a plaza area in front of it. Around it were a mix of older building and new modern buildings, many with shops for tourists in the lower levels. As she entered the area, Rose saw many tourists with their cameras, maps and guidebooks out working their way through the area, but not many were heading into the museum at this time. Sweeping past them, Rose climbed the white stairs to the large open double doors and stepped inside. After paying her admission and purchasing an audio guide Rose walked into the grand gallery. It reminded for of the Egyptian hall in the British museum with large stone statues of the pharaohs and gods lining the walls. She pulled out her map and started building a mental version as she walked through the gallery. Between the statues were sarcophagi, many slightly propped open. Rose's eyes swept the crowd, looking to see if anyone was watching her or seemed to recognize her.

Rose moved through the rooms at a reasonable pace, trying to look like a late arrival trying to see everything, but also trying to take note of anything she recognized or that reminded her of Apep. A few artifacts had the now familiar image of a cat, the goddess Baset cutting the head off of a snake, Apep. It was an image that Rose had become familiar with early in her research, but so far she had no idea where the myth came from. Apep had been trapped on Earth by the other Osirans, possibly even before Sutekh had since Set's mythology later absorbed Apep's position as the God of Evil. A brief thought of which one was more powerful went through Rose's mind, but she had to conclude that Sutekh had been since he'd managed to take over the Doctor's mind for a time. Apep's mental powers seemed very limited in comparison. She shook off the thought, reminding herself to be grateful for that and moved on to the next room.

Rose had just enough time to see the Tutankhamun rooms before the museum closed and she went back to real work. She smiled as she followed the crowd down the stairs and into the grand gallery. Guards were waiting impatiently as tourists tried to glimpse a few more items, but Rose stepped outside and noted with relief that the temperature had dropped a great deal after sunset. She had just taken a few steps when she had the sense that she was being watched. For a moment Rose debated turning around and altering her possible watcher, but decided to risk it. She turned and looked back up at the museum building in time to see an Egyptian face vanish from a window. It had been male, but the distance and the darkness of the night meant she could see nothing else. Frowning to herself, Rose turned and began the walk back to her drop off point.

Amina was waiting for Rose where they had dropped her off and smiled pleasantly as Rose walked over to her. "Anything interesting?" Amina asked.

"Well I got to see the Tutankhamun mask and someone was watching me as I left," Rose said calmly. "It may have been Apep or it might have been random. I'm not sure." Rose shifted uncomfortably. "While I was in the museum I was thinking about how Apep compares to the stories I heard about another one of his people."

"How so?" Amina asked. "We know very little about these Osirans, only what you have told UNIT."

"Well I've only ever seen Apep use his telepathic powers once and that was on the worker robots. Colonel Adams wasn't under mind control, he helped Apep willingly although…"

"Although?" Amina asked in a low voice stepping closer to Rose, "You look worried."

"Apep's mind was somehow separated from his body until Adams restored him to his body. It just occurred to me that maybe that damaged his mental powers for a time. Adams even said back then at Apep was weak."

"It could explain why he could only recently use the service robots and previously used humans" Amina said.

"Maybe, at first I assumed that it was because he didn't have any service robots." Rose said, but she shook her head. "Well I'll just be careful in case he is regaining more of his mental abilities."

Amina now looked a bit more worried which made Rose feel bad, but once the idea had popped into her head she couldn't shake it. And surely it was better to be overly cautious than risk letting Apep achieve whatever his purpose was. Rose's left hand went to her sword bracelet and rubbed the metal absentmindedly as Amina led her over to a nearby restaurant.

Rose wasn't feeling very hungry as her mind kept going over her new concerns about Apep and her curiosity about the man at the window. She forced herself to eat some of the kushari, a dish of rice, lentils, chickpeas and macaroni topped with tomato sauce, that Amina had suggested. It was good, if different, but Rose found it difficult to enjoy properly.

"Be patient," Amina said beside her as she ate her own dinner. "The museum will clear out enough soon for us to go in and really examine everything." Amina glanced around to make sure they weren't being watched. "I was able to verify that the mask we thought might have triggered everything has been in the museum's possession for almost forty years and was on display for ten years."

"So it isn't the mask," Rose said with a nod. "That's not surprising, but it is very likely an Osirian object."

"I've made arrangements to look at it as soon as we are inside the museum," Amina told her.

They waited another fifteen minutes before leaving the restaurant and walking back to the museum. The large building was a glow with lights with gave it an aura of power and mystery. Rose glanced at the front door as Amina led her around the large structure to a small back door. To Rose's surprise Colonel Mostapha and two male soliders were standing there waiting for them. The Colonel nodded to Rose and turned towards the door. Amina stepped in front of the Colonel and gently tapped on the door, seeming far more relaxed than Rose felt or the Colonel looked. The metal door beeped as a security lock was disengaged and opened to reveal a small middle aged Egyptian man.

"Ah Professor Chalthoum, welcome back," the man said gesturing for her to enter. The man looked very tired, with dark shadows under his eyes and he looked as if he hadn't eaten or slept properly in several days. His dark eyes landed on Rose, a glint of curiosity shining in them.

"This is Marion Thorn from England," Amina said quickly. "She was recommended to help with our little problem."

The man nodded, almost to himself and looked over at Amina. "I won't ask." He turned back to Rose and added, "Just do whatever you can to end this nightmare." The man then turned to the Colonel and handed him a card key before he left out the back door.

"Curator?" Rose guessed once he had gone.

"One of them," Amina said with a nod. "Poor man knows something terrible is happening, but can't do anything about it." Amina shook her head and gestured for Rose to follow her. "This way if you please, they've been storing the items in question downstairs."

Colonel Mostapha who had been listening now said, "Mounier will go with you. I will oversee a final sweep of the museum." The Colonel looked at Rose, "We were able to arrange for there to be staff on duty tonight, UNIT personnel only. My men should all be in place of the guards now." The Colonel looked back at Amina, "You have your radio."

"Yes sir," Amina answered. "We'll stay in contact."

Amina gestured for Rose to follow her and one of the soldiers, Rose guessed Mounier, also followed. They went down a flight of stairs and into the basement. Rose swallowed as they stepped into a climate controlled room where a UNIT guard nodded to them. Amina nodded back, but said nothing as she led Rose through another door and into a corridor.

"The museum has over 120,000 items," she explained in a soft voice. "Only a small selection of them are on display at any given time." Amina walked over to a door with a heavy security lock on it and pulled out a card key. Rose raised an eyebrow as Amina's card opened the door.

"They put them under extra security?"

"UNIT added the lock two days ago," Amina said, "We didn't want any of the staff getting themselves killed out of curiosity."

The storage room was small and climate controlled with cases lining two of the walls. Quickly scanning the room, Rose noted most of the objects that had been in Amina's report stored in the various cases. Several large heavy wooden boxes were placed in the center of the room that Rose guessed held the rest.

"Are they all here?" Rose questioned.

"The ones we think killed people," Amina said. "And in some cases the items immediately around those in question since we can't be sure how quickly this affect kills people."

"And so far it has only killed the staff?" Rose verified. "No tourists since the report was made?"

"No, which is why I think someone is switching them on and off," Amina said. "It would be easy to kill a lot of people or drain their life energy if you're right while the museum is open."

"True, but that would cause a panic," Rose said softly as she walked over to one of the cases and looked closely at the objects. There were two necklaces, a small wand and a bowl all with elegant detail work on them. Leaning over Rose tried to read some of the old and faded hieroglyphics, but even her translator couldn't put the images back together.

She worked silently, moving along the cases and studying the objects the best she could. Her translator gave her a few words here and there: gods, Ra, Horus, Osiris, river, life and house were the most common. Shaking her head when she reached the end, Rose turned back to Amina.

"I've got nothing, I don't really see anything connecting these objects."

"The only thing they really have in common is that they are Egyptian and first dynasty or even earlier," Amina said. "I have X-rays taken of some of them, but nothing usual appearing in any of the tests. According to our results the objects are stone and metal."

"They may not have any power without an Osrian," Rose said with a shrug. "They used mental power to do what they wanted, almost everything else was just a channel for that power." Rose rubbed her temple and added, "I don't even know if it has to be an actual Osirian artifact for Apep to use it, the very model of an Osirian artifact might be enough."

"Lovely," Amina sighed. "Shall we look at the mask?"

"Very carefully," Rose muttered as she stepped up the box that Amina indicated.

"The mask has been in complete lockdown since this morning," Amina told her as they reached for the box. "The only time anyone was in this room after it was transferred out was to take out the bodies of those poor men."

"Is it wide to open that box?" Mounier question from the door.

"We can't find out what is happening if we don't," Rose said as she glanced over at Amina. "So far none of these objects have activated more than once correct?"

"That's right," Amina said even as she hesitated slightly in lifting the lid. "So far."

The lid of the box was raised and Rose peered in only to find an empty box.

"What the-" AMina gasped, jumping to her feet. She turned sharply to Mounier and hissed. "Tell the Colonel that the mask is no longer in the storage room."

Rose reached for the next box that was labeled as a statue and pushed the lid off. A statue of a cat was nestled amongst packing peanuts. Next to her she saw Amina check another box and them move to the last box.

"It isn't here," Amina hissed. "How can it be gone? It was here after the bodies were removed. I was watching them be removed!"

"Who else has a card key?" Rose questioned. "That kind of lock should keep a record."

"Only two others have a key," Amina said. "The Colonel and the Head of the Museum."

"Would he have any reason to remove the mask?" Rose asked.

"Abusir?" Amina asked before shaking her head, "No, I can't imagine that he would risk it."

The Colonel arrived a moment later with another soldier that Rose hadn't seen before. The private stepped forward and knelt in front of the lock, plugging a small handheld computer into it.

"Well?" the Colonel asked.

"It will take a moment sir," the private replied calmly. "The door was opened at 5:05 PM today by Professor Abusir's key."

Colonel Mostapha reached for his radio, "All units sweep the museum for Professor Abusir and alert HQ to send a patrol to his home at once. He is believed to have removed one of the dangerous items."

Rose turned to Amina as the Colonel issued orders to individuals soldiers with his radio. "Just where was the mask on display before it was removed."

"I'll show you," Amina said to Rose before she looked over at Mounier, "Private Mounier I'd rather you remained with us."

"Yes ma'am," the private said with a nod to Amina who swept out of the small storage and headed for the stairs, Rose right behind her.


	19. Land of the Pryamids: The Grand Gallery

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Nineteen: The Grand Gallery

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: I'm so sorry that this is so late. The last week was a constant stream of things going wrong both personally and professionally so I couldn't sit down and write until things were sorted. Warning: this chapter is fairly dark and contains more violence than usual. It is very creepy in places so brace yourselves.

The mask wasn't at its old display of course and the Colonel had ordered that the entire museum be searched just to be certain. The Colonel assigned two privates to search with Rose while Amina vanished down a hallway with two soldiers of her own. After three hours of the museum being swept, Rose was now fairly confident that museums were slightly transdimensional. The building that hadn't seemed that large before was now a vast labyrinth full of hiding places and probably enough space to complete some kind of ancient alien ritual that would suck her entire planet into the time-space vortex without them ever knowing it. Needless to say as Rose stepped into another small gallery room with two of the UNIT soldiers she was becoming frustrated. Security cameras around the museum hadn't seen anyone leaving with the mask and no internal cameras had seen it. Rose was still certain that the mask in the museum along with Apep. It just didn't right that he'd leave when she was here, his arrogance would want to see her destroyed. He'd want to know that she was dead and out of the way, at least that was what she hoping for. Rose shook her head at her own thoughts and focused on checking the small spaces around the displays for anything odd.

Looking at the two privates that were with her, Rose briefly considered checking with Amina and the Colonel to see if they had found anything. Logically she knew that everyone was reporting in via their radios every fifteen minutes, but the silence in the museum was making her nervous. Her small group on the second floor of the museum and had nearly completed their assigned section.

"There's nothing here," one of the privates, Massri, said.

"Agreed," Rose said as she walked over to join them. "Let's move on."

Massri nodded and reached for his radio. "This is Massri checking in," he said into the speaker. Rose watched as the man's face tightened and he spoke again. "Massri to Colonel Mostapha come in." Only static answered.

"Something's happened," Rose said with a stern look at the two privates. "Come on, back to the main gallery."

Private Massri grabbed Rose's arm lightly as she turned towards the door. "With all due respect Agent Thorn," he said politely. "Let us go first."

Massri and his fellow soldier, Private Sawalha moved in front of her, holding their weapons at the ready. Rose took a deep breath to steady herself and followed them from the room. They moved at the slow pace, looking into each of the small display rooms as they moved back towards the stairs. Rose dropped her right hand and kept it ready to summon her sword, but hesitated remembering what had happened the last time she'd used her sword against Apep. The telepathic powers of the Osirians were capable of overwhelming even a sword created by the White Guardian.

The trio were almost to the grand gallery when a strange humming sound began to echo in the stone halls of the museum. Massri and Sawalha exchanged a look ahead of Rose and then ran forward towards the source of the noise.

Rose glared at them and snapped, "Wait don't-" but they were already to the stairs at the end of the hall.

Rose shook her head and ran forward herself, pausing only briefly to glanced into each of the display rooms along the hall to check for any signs of change. She nearly tripped rushing down the stairs and skidded to a stop when she saw the two men at the bottom of the stairs. Massri was dead at the bottom of the stairs, his neck twisted around unnaturally and Sawalha was in the grip of an Osirian service robot. Rose took a quick step forward, but was too far away as a second service robot reached over and snapped the man's neck with a horrific cracking noise that echoed in the stone hallway.

Stepping back, Rose stared at the two corpses as Sawalha's body hit the marble floor of the hallway. Her eyes moved up to the service robots who started to move towards her. A sudden scream from the grand gallery drew Rose's attention away from the robots. Rose jumped over the middle rail of the stairs and rushed the rest of the way down to the first floor as quickly as she could. Ducking down, Rose darted under the arms of a service robots as it reached for her as she ran past.

She moved down the hallways towards the large main gallery where the humming was coming from, but a sudden shriek made Rose look to the right, into a large oval room. Rose's eyes spotted Anima just as a service robot knocked her on the head, throwing her back against the wall. Anima's body slid to the floor just as the service robot killed one of the soldiers who had been checking with her. Without thinking, Rose moved into the room and towards Anima who she could see was barely breathing, but still breathing.

"Rose Tyler," the smooth voice of Apep hissed from across the room. Rose turned to see the man she'd spotted in the window leaning calmly against the far wall between a pair of statues. "How nice of you to join us."

Apep's human face was lean with sharp features and dark eyes that fixed on Rose. His narrow lips curved into an ugly smirk. Rose lunged forward, but one of the service robots knocked her sideways away from Apep. Air rushed out of Rose's lungs as she hit the stone floor and she coughed at the pain form the hit, but forced herself to her feet. A service robots grabbed one of her arms twisting it back. Rose struggled against it only to have her other arm gripped by the robot that had hit her.

"I should have known they'd call you," Apep observed as he stepped away from the wall. "And once you came I just couldn't wait any longer. It is fitting that you are here," Apep murmured to Rose as he stepped up in front of her. His humanoid fingers brushed a strand of her hair out of her face. "You've grown up so well."

Rose leaned forward as far as she could against the robots grip and snapped her teeth at his fingers. Apep drew them back with a chuckle and was about to say something when the sound of running feet reached them. Rose tensed at the sudden sound of gunfire a moment later and the voice of Colonel Mostapha shouting orders. The grip of the service robots tightened on her arms as Rose tried to turn and look out into the hall. There were several heavy thuds from the hallway and the sound of the shooting stopped. Rose looked up at Apep's face only to see him looking very calm and slightly bored.

Two service robots lumbered into her view a moment later, grabbing Colonel Mostapha into view even as he struggled against their grip. Rose could guess what had happened to the other men as she saw the Colonel's fearful, but determined face.

"Colonel Mostapha," Apep said pleasantly as he looked at the man. "Thank you for joining us, now I needn't search the museum."

The service robots holding the Colonel shoved him forward towards Apep who merely stared at the soldier in front of him for a moment. Colonel Mostapha's face went blank, his dark eyes glazed over as he stared at Apep. A look of awe and reverence took over his features. Apep smiled, his human face lit up with glee as Rose struggled against the grip of the service robots.

"I have missed this," Apep sighed happily. "When my mind was split from me I was left with a gaping wound."

"And the life force you've drained has healed it?" Rose questioned, trying to distract Apep from Colonel Mostapha. "Is that why those people died? You used some of the Osirian technology to transfer their energy to yourself?"

"That and time," Apep said. "But I had a greater purpose here than merely using Horus' forgotten trinkets to heal myself." Apep turned his eyes back to Colonel Mostapha and Rose could only watch as Apep's face shimmered. The human features shifted and reformed into the horrible hooded snake head that he'd had the first time Rose saw him.

"Kill yourself," Apep hissed to Colonel Mostapha.

"Yes Lord Apep," the Colonel said in an empty voice.

Rose pushed against the floor with all of her might, trying to break free from the service robots, but they held her fast. Colonel Mostapha's hand went to his holster and drew out his service weapon with one smooth motion. Apep looked over at Rose, watching her struggle to free herself form the large service robots.

"Try your sword," Apep teased. "I'm stronger than I was then, the telepathic backlash might even kill you this time."

"Stop it Apep," Rose snapped as her eyes darted desperately to the Colonel as he slowly raised the pistol to his head. "You've made your point."

"Oh not even close Rose Tyler," Apep hissed as he focused his serpentine eyes on her. "I haven't even started. Your species needs to be reminded of how small you are. You are speaks of dust to me."

Rose couldn't look away from Apep as she felt a strange pressure in her head like a wave of water trying to force down a wall. A sudden gunshot made Rose flinch, startling her out of whatever Apep had been attempting. Against her will, Rose's eyes moved towards Colonel Mostapha who was lying dead on the ground. Rose slammed her eyes shut before she could take in the horrible detail of the man's death. Then she heard Apep laughing softly.

Rose's head turned back towards the alien and her eyes snapped open. Glaring at the alien with all her might, she pulled uselessly against the grip of the service robots. Her shoulders protested the movement, but Rose ignored the growing ache in her body in favor of embracing her rage.

"There's that look," Apep hissed softly. "That look of utter defiance." Apep moved closer to Rose and forced her chin up with his gloved hand. "I've almost missed that look Rose Tyler." Then he pulled his hand away and hit Rose sharply across the face, jarring her neck muscles with the force of the blow. "I have a fitting end for you."

Apep turned to the other service robots and gestured towards the unconscious figures of Amina, Private Mounier and the other soldiers. The service robots lumbered to them and picked them up to drag one by one. Apep turned dramatically and his heel and began to walk towards the door of the small gallery. Rose was jerked forward suddenly by the service robots, making the sore muscles in her neck protest as they half dragged her after Apep. They crossed the hallway which seemed longer than ever to enter the large main gallery of the museum.

The large gallery was dimmer than Rose remembered it being earlier with the artifacts casting long shadows. There was a stillness in the air despite the heavy footfalls of the service robots. Rose had never been in a tomb personally, but at that moment she could easily believe this was what it felt like. Her eyes swept the room quickly and found the addition that Apep must have made. At the far end of the large gallery was a massive statue of a seated pharaoh and queen that Rose had looked at earlier. Set at the foot of the large statue was an open sarcophagus which was empty, but seemed to be humming.

"A lodestone?" Rose questioned softly, remembering Sarah Jane's description at the time space tunnel system that the Osirian Sutekh had used.

"Very good Rose," Apep said with amusement in his voice. "I have spent the last five years altering this lodestone, perfecting it as Sutek and Horus were too limited to achieve."

"Where are you going?" Rose asked.

"Ancient Egypt," Apep breathed. "To correct the wrongs done to me." Apep looked back over at her. "But time space tunnels are dangerous Rose; they age their travelers by the amount of time they move through it."

"And you've been gathering life energy to survive the trip," Rose muttered in understanding. "Surely you haven't gotten five thousand years of life energy from those you've killed."

Apep laughed, hisses escaping him as he did so. "Oh Rose I've been draining life force to do this for years, since even before New York." Apep shook his large serpent head. "But no, I have improved on the lodestone," Apep said triumphantly. "I have charged the corridor itself with the life energy," Apep gloated. "It will charge my body with Artron energy, protecting me from the trip. The journey will pose no threat to me."

Rose straightened at the mention of Artron energy. The Doctor had talked about it enough that she knew it was temporal residue in the body of Time Travelers and in high enough quantities could have an impact on time travel.

"So it won't kill you," Rose verified, "But what about the paradox."

But Apep didn't answer her, instead he seemed bored by the conversation. Instead he pulled a strange golden scarab from his suit jacket and held it in his hand. The strange portal shimmered and the glow intensified. The service robots not holding Rose dragged one of the unconscious soldiers over to Apep. The Osirian held the strange scarab over the man's body and Rose gasped as she instantly saw the man's skin begin to dry out. His mouth opened in a silent scream and Rose shut her eyes just after seeing his eyes begin to sink back into his skull. Apep laughed, but Rose didn't open her eyes.

"Why did your robots kill the others," Rose asked softly a few moments later. "Why not just do this to them."

"I don't really need any more life energy," Apep said calmly. "But a little extra before going back in time is always a good precaution."

Rose felt Apep stepping up in front of her and him grasping her chin, forcing her to look up at him, but her eyes remained closed. "Open your eyes," Apep commanded her.

"No," Rose hissed.

"I don't need to see your eyes to take control of you," Apep said. "But I want you to see me kill the others, I want you to understand that you can't do anything to stop me."

Rose desperately wished that she had called the Doctor, consequences of him swooping in to save the Earth yet again be damned. Apep's fingers brushed over her cheeks making Rose instinctively try and pull away, but the robots held her too tightly. Apep chuckled again and Rose could feel the hot breath on her face despite his serpent head.

"I'm going to take over your mind Rose," Apep said. "You're going to come with me into the past and help me alter the history of your world so that I reign supreme. Then you will help me release Horath when the time comes and I will rule the universe. I will keep you alive for centuries to serve me as a prisoner in your mind while your body obeys every command that I give it."

Rose shuddered, but opened her eyes to glare up at Apep while trying to figure out some way out of this situation. She couldn't reach her mobile phone to call the Doctor and her sword didn't work on Apep's robots. Apep set the scarab he'd been holding down on the edge of a nearby sarcophagus and then stepped up to Rose.

"That's better," he hissed. "Show me that defiance one last time."

Rose spit in his face, it won't do anything, but it gave her a tiny spark of satisfaction. Then she felt it. That presence pushing against her mind once again, but with more force and a sharpness to it. This wasn't a warning or Apep trying to frighten her. Rose gasped as a painful feeling overwhelmed her sense like a hot poker being held to her scalp right behind an ear. She screamed and lost her vision as the force pushed harder against her mind, but then was suddenly gone.

Rose felt the hands of the robots loosen and slipped from their grasp as she fell to the floor, her knees hitting the floor painfully. The fresh jolt of pain jarred Rose back to reality and she forced her eyes open once again. Apep was a few feet from her, clutching his serpent head and groaning while hissing words that Rose's mind couldn't catch. Next to her the service robots were standing completely still.

"What was that!?" Apep suddenly roared fixing his serpent eyes on Rose as she tried to climb to her feet. "What is in your mind?! What kept me out?!"

Rose didn't know what he was talking about and didn't really care as she steadied herself on her feet. Her eyes locked with Apep's seeing the genuine surprise and fear in them, but she had no answer. She took a step towards Apep and was stunned when he drew back. Suddenly he lunged to the side and grabbed the scarab in his hand. He looked over at the service robots and gestured to them, but nothing happened. Apep narrowed his eyes and then groaned in pain, stepping back and clutching at his head.

Apep snarled at Rose and turned back to the shimmering event horizon trapped in the confines of the large sarcophagus. His black gloved hand reached out a touched the shimmering portal which flowed back from his touch.

"Farwell Rose Tyler," Apep hissed back to her before he stepped forward into the time-space tunnel.

Rose's eyes widened as the figure vanished down the long corridor of swirling lights and shimmering energy. Her legs protested as she moved forward towards the portal. Stopping in front of it, Rose took a shaky breath and looked over her shoulder at the unconscious soldiers and Amina. Turning back to the portal, Rose nodded to herself and took a breath.

"Right then," she murmured to herself. "I hope Apep's modifications really work." Rose pushed against the event horizon and gasped as it instantly gave away to her weight. Stepping forward, Rose moved into the time space tunnel and felt herself being wisked away.


	20. Land of the Pryamids: Capstone

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Twenty: Capstone

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: Okay last bit of this episode! This has been a strange one with a lot going on and some of you have asked some interesting questions about the mental attack on Rose. All will be revealed in due time, as I said this season has an arc. Thank you for reading and reviewing.

Rose hit the ground hard, forcing the air out of her lungs. Her eyes slammed closed instinctively from the bright light surrounding her and her fingers searched the immediate area. A strong breeze whipped her hair around her head, pulling some strands from her hair tie. Sand blew across her hands and face and Rose slowly opened her eyes. Sunlight was glinted off of the smooth sand dunes that were around her and into her eyes.

Forcing herself to her knees, Rose lifted her right hand to shade her eyes and she looked around. In the distance she could just see low brown buildings at the horizon and shimmering in the reflection of the sun off of the sand. Her body felt heavy and her sense dull, but Rose forced herself to bring her senses under control. The roar of the wind with the sand seemed to lessen and her eyes adjusted to the light of the desert after the dimness of the museum. Taking a breath slowly, while sheltering her face Rose mentally checked her limbs and the pain in her body. Her body was still aching from her treatment from the service robots, but she could feel everything and move. Her shoulder bag had slipped around to her back, but was still securely on despite her sudden time travel.

Turning around, Rose gasped and took an involuntary step back. Dominating the space behind her, maybe five miles away was a massive pyramid with smooth gleaming sides. It was perfect, looking just like paintings and drawings of the ancient structures when they were new.

"Five thousand years," Rose said to herself softly. "It worked."

Rose raised a shaky hand to her face and felt the smooth skin, as silly as it was. Had the time tunnel actually aged her five thousand years she'd be dust. She pulled her eyes away from it and looked around the rest of the way. Another pyramid, only partially built with large earth ramps wrapping around it stood a few miles away. Rose's eyes traced the area, searching for Apep. A figure rose over a dune in dark clothing, but too far away for Rose to see closely. It was moving towards the pyramid under construction when it turned slightly giving Rose a view of the silhouette. A serpent hood stood out darkly against the golden sand and Rose started to run towards it.

The closer she got the harder it was to focus on Apep. The pyramid was surrounded by hustle and bustle and even from a distance she could see huge stones being loaded onto sleds and pulled by large teams of men up the ramps that twisted around the pyramid. Rose was snapped out of her observations by screaming at the building site. She took a quick breath and forced herself to run faster towards the pyramid. A sudden scream and rising cloud of dust and sand told her just a few minutes that Apep had started to do whatever he had planned. She didn't wait for anything else and as soon as she reached the bottom of the ramp Rose began to race up towards the top of the pyramid.

Rose looked up towards the top of the pyramid, desperate to catch sight of Apep as another scream ripped through the air. The scream was followed by the sound of chanting from high above her head as the workers and guards started to chant Apep's name. Rushing forward, Rose duck and wove around those fleeing down the ramps. A guard slammed into her, knocking Rose back onto the earthen ramp as the guard also tumbled. His sword slipped from his hand, but he didn't bother collecting it as he scrambled to his feet and kept running. Rose rolled out of the immediate path of the stampeding workers. Another man hit her in the side, knocking her against the side of the nearly stone of the pyramid. Rose hissed in pain and leaned back from the crowd as far as she could against the warm stone of the pyramid.

The last of the fleeing workers passed within moment and Rose forced herself to take another breath. Her eyes fell on the curved blade that the guard had dropped and she scooped it up in her right hand. The balance wasn't very good, but she couldn't risk using her Star Knight sword against Apep so it would have to do. Tightening her grip on the sword, Rose looked up the ramp and started the climb to the top.

The serpent Orisian was waiting for her and holding the scarab above his head with the large platform of the pyramid lined with workers and guards. Each had a glazed look in their eyes and were chanting Apep's name. Rose stepped off of the ramp and was a bit startled when the chanting stopped and Apep's slaves parted to allow her into the middle of the square. Rose stepped forward slowly, her eyes tracing the assembled humans. Most were workers and not carrying weapons with only two armed guards among them. Looking back at the scarab, Rose was stunned to see that it seemed to be pulsing with energy and she could feel the temperature dropping as she moved closer to Apep.

"So Rose did you study my mythology on Earth?" Apep questioned without turning to face her. "These simple folks believed that I devoured the sun."

"Did you?" Rose asked. "Is that why Ra imprisoned you? Did you do something to Earth's sun?"

Apep laughed, his hissing echoed off of the smooth stones of the pyramid's top. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by such questions, you are far more clever than most of your kind." Apep looked over his shoulder. "And brave enough to follow me back in time."

"It's not my first trip in time," Rose said calmly as she took another step towards Apep.

The hilt of the sword felt slippery and Rose realized that she was sweating nervously. The snake's eyes dropped to the sword briefly before he turned his attention to the scarab.

"It's no matter," Apep said softly. "Ra isn't here to stop me this time, none of them are. Strange that the only ones to survive were Sekhet and I because we were locked away." Apep raised the scarab towards the sun once again. "If Ra could see how things turned out, he really would hide his face."

The light of the sun suddenly dimmed and Rose looked up towards it in alarm. The bright golden glow of the sun was being dimmed as it darkened to a light blue.

"Energy," Apep said. "That was the only reason I came to this rock in the first place. The humans were too primitive to stop me and I thought Ra would never find me."

"Stop it Apep," Rose yelled. "You'll freeze the planet."

"Oh not that quickly," Apep replied. "I have uses for your kind and a planetary history to rewrite." Apep made a gesture with his free hand and the humans started to move towards Rose.

Looking around in alarm, Rose slipped into a defense stance and tried to focus. Humans now stood between her and Apep, more importantly between her and scarab which was the key to what Apep was doing. She barely dodged a sword swing from one of the two guards and raised the Egyptian sword to counter the strike. One of the muscular workers tried to grab her from behind, but Rose roundhouse kicked him in the chest.

Rose tossed the sword away and raised her hands to catch a punch from one of the men and flipped him over her shoulder. He collided with another man and Rose released him, sending both to the ground with a hard thud. The Egyptians moved against her quickly, but the workers were untrained and focused on strength. A few quick punches took another one down and a leg sweep forced another to fall.

Rose ignored the five that hadn't reached her over their struggling comrades and grabbed the sword. She jumped over the fallen guard and rushed towards Apep. He swung around, still holding the scarab tight in his right fist and reached for Rose with his left hand. There was another wave of pressure against her head, nearly overwhelming her senses. The sword in her right hand became heavy, but she used the growing pain to tighten her grip.

"What are you?!" Apep hissed in pain, but he did not stop the attack.

Rose screamed as the feeling of a scalding point against her brain returned and blindly swung the sword with her right hand. Her vision was blurred with pain and her hearing was fading in and out, but she felt the sword collide with Apep's body. Everything eased and it was all Rose could do to keep from fainting. Suddenly her left side was struck hard by Apep's fist with much greater force than a human could manage.

Air rushed from Rose's lungs and she felt something crack inside of her body as she pulled away instinctively from the blow. Her grip on the sword loosened for a moment, but it did not fall from her hand. Forcing her eyes open, not realizing that she'd ever closed them, Rose found the blurry shape of Apep and swung the sword again just above her shoulder level. Behind her she caught a cheer and a scream along with what sounded like a prayer against evil. The sword sunk into flesh and caught, not simply sliding off from a minor hit. A panicked hissing reached her eyes.

Rose blinked several times and did her best to force herself beyond the pain of Apep's attack. She shifted her stance and put her weight against the blade in her hand. The hissing turned to a groan mixed with gurgling sounds and Rose's vision began to clear. Apep's chest was slashed open form the first swing, but now the sword was embedded in the neck of the serpent head and he was twitching.

Rose starred at Apep, their eyes locking in a moment of stunned silence. The scarab slipped from his hand and landed on the stone with a sharp metallic sound.

"I wondered-" Apep coughed, "Where the myth of Bast slaying me came from."

Pulling the sword out of his neck, Rose stepped back as Apep collapsed to his knees in front of her. His hands moved up to his neck desperately to stop the bleeding. Rose looked down at him for a moment, debating with herself as to what to do. He wasn't going to live, that much was certain from his reaction to the injury. She looked up at the sun to see that it was still blue and looked over at the scarab.

"How do I stop this Apep?" Rose questioned Apep.

He glared at her and hissed, "You can't."

Rose glared down at him and raised the sword. "Then I hope you find mercy in whatever afterlife you believe in."

"You won't," Apep groaned as he looked up at her.

She brought the sword down as hard as she could on his injured neck. The resistance lasted a moment as the sword cleaved into the serpent neck. Rose flinched at the sound of the small spinal bones snapping under the force and pulled the sword back. Apep's body fell in front of her as she stepped back.

A burst of warmth on her skin made her eyes fly open and look towards the sun. She instantly had to look away as the bright glow began to return. Smiling, Rose lowered her eyes only to have them land on Apep's corpse. She looked away quickly and located the scarab. Leaning down, Rose picked it up and held it in her hand. She closed her fingers around it, letting it sit gently in the palm of her hand as she tilted her face up towards the sun with closed eyes.

"Daughter of Ra," she heard a voice whisper fearfully behind her.

Rose turned to find the Egyptians on their knees behind her. Sighing, Rose looked away from them for a moment and took a breath.

"Leave me," she ordered with as much authority as she could manage. "You may return to your work tomorrow."

Rose didn't watch them leave, focusing instead on the feel of the sun on her skin and the smell of the limestone under the feet. Once they were gone, Rose stepped away from Apep's body and clutched her left side gingerly. She'd never had a broken rib before, but the grinding feeling as she breathed made her think she did now. Looking down from the top of the pyramid, Rose frowned at the sight of the dead Egyptians and the chaos that the site was in. The nearest stone on its sled was cracked and she could see the figures of the survivors rushing towards the nearby worker village. Taking another slow breath, Rose reached into her bag and pulled out her mobile phone, grateful once again that the Doctor made sure it was upgraded. She pressed the TARDIS speed dial and held the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" A cheerful and youthful voice asked, Rose recognized it as the Eleventh Doctor's and smiled softly to herself. Oddly just the sound of the happiest version of him made her feel a little better about her day.

"Hello Doctor," she greeted, "Care to give a stranded girl a lift?"

"When and where is she stranded?" the Doctor asked with a teasing tone.

"Well if Apep got his time tunnel set up right five thousand years ago," Rose said. "In Egypt near the Sphinx." Rose added, looking over towards the massive stature.

"The Great Sphinx huh," the Doctor said thoughtfully. "Are all the pyramids complete?"

"No," Rose answered. "I'm at the top of one that is about two-thirds done," she answered.

"Well then you're only 4,500 years in the past," the Doctor said. "The Sphinx and pyramids weren't around 5,000 years ago. Sounds like Apep got it a bit wrong." Rose could practically hear the Doctor rolling his eyes, "Osirians time travel was so awkward, not to mention dangerous."

"Maybe," Rose said. "But let's be grateful for Apep's alternations or I'd be dead." The Doctor was quiet for a moment so Rose added, "And I didn't have a handy toy to trap him in a time tunnel like a certain Time Lord."

"The benefits of a fully stocked TARDIS," the Doctor said. "Just let me adjust this and the TARDIS will locate you with your ring."

Rose's eyes dropped to the golden ring with the small purple gemstone that she always wore. "I forgot about your little tracking device," she said.

"Oh it's not a tracking device," the Doctor said cheerfully. "Only the TARDIS can track you with that."

"Good to know," Rose said.

"I track you with the chip in your arm," the Doctor added. "Rather I will track you with the chip in

Rose blinked and was quiet for a moment. "The worrying thing Doctor is I'm not sure if you're joking or not."

"You have a talent for wandering off," the Doctor answered. "Alright, I've got your location," the Doctor said before the phone went silent. Rose smiled and slipped the phone into her pocket and looked out towards the Nile.

The familiar wheezing sound echoed off of the stone layer of the pyramid she was standing on. Rose smiled as the outline of the TARDIS appeared and flickered into view with the light flashing. A moment later the blue box finished materializing on the top of the nearly completed pyramid. The door opened inward and the Doctor stepped out with a wide smile. He wasn't wearing his tweed coat and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows, but his bow tie was still neatly tied under his chin.

"Hello Doctor," Rose greeted softly, ignoring the pain in her side.

"Hello Darling," the Doctor said gently as he stepped forward and kissed her forehead softly. "What hurts?" he asked a moment later.

"My side," Rose replied. "I think I may have a broken rib."

"Then medical bay for you missy," the Doctor said gesturing towards the TARDIS.

"Am I inside?" Rose asked as she looked back at the TARDIS.

"No, I dropped you off before I came by," the Doctor said. "Bonus is that I got out of a shopping trip."

Rose chuckled lightly for a second, but stopped when pain rippled through her side. "Inside inside," the Doctor said quickly with his expression darkening with concern.

Rose entered the TARDIS and smiled at sight of the smooth metal and glass console room. "Medical bay is where?" Rose asked looking over her shoulder at the Doctor.

"Right," the Doctor said mostly to himself. "You don't know this version." He held out a hand to Rose which she took with her right hand. The Doctor led her up a set of stairs and into the corridors of the TARDIS. Rose noticed that the corridors were very different than what she knew with the coral theme being completely gone in favor of the smooth curved halls of the new setup of the TARDIS.

The medical bay wasn't far from the console room, a very good design on the TARDIS' part in Rose's opinion. She released the Doctor's hand when he gestured her to sit in a chair and did so as the Doctor picked up a device that looked a bit like his sonic screwdriver with a green tip and a white handle.

"Bag off," the Doctor said, turning back to Rose. He gently helped her shrug off the shoulder bag and set it aside. Rose finally released her grip on the scarab which the Doctor carefully took from her palm and placed on a tray. Then he knelt in front of her and tenderly touched her side. Rose hissed at the contact and the Doctor raised the device to her side. "Take a breath and hold it," the Doctor instructed gently. Rose did so and a soft humming noise filled the room. The pain intensified for a moment before easing. "Let out the breath," the Doctor said and Rose did so.

She took another breath and smiled when there was no pain. The Doctor grinned at her and set the device to the side. "That's better," he said cheerfully before leaning up to catch her lips in a soft kiss. Rose lifted a hand to his head and tangled her fingers in his hair as she returned the kiss. After the whole mess with Apep this moment finally reassured her that it was over, the snake was dead. She forced herself to pull away from the Doctor.

"What about Apep's body?" she asked.

"There's a mood killer," the Doctor teased, but he answered her quickly. "I'll take care of cremating it," he promised. The Doctor stood up and held out his hand to Rose. She accepted his hand and let him pull her to her feet. Rose grabbed her bag and slipped it back on before the Doctor led her a few doors down to the kitchen.

The TARDIS kitchen had changed quite a bit from the one Rose had become familiar with in the Tenth's Doctor's TARDIS. Where the old one had been dominated by an automated meal bar machine that she blamed on his Ninth self with cabinets and appliance lining the walls around it, this kitchen was sleek and dominated by appliances and cabinets with a large dining island in the center. It looked a lot like a commercial kitchen with a lot of counter space, exactly the sort of place that Rose would enjoy cooking in.

"This is a nice change," Rose said.

"I think she did this for you," the Doctor said with a shrug. "You did fine in the old one, but you never disguised that you didn't like the set up."

"That was sweet of her," Rose said with a grin. "Why are we here?"

The Doctor went over to the refrigerator and pulled out a plate and a jug of water. He set both on the island. "Eat and drink all of this," the Doctor told her. "Knitting bones back together is hard on a body." Rose sat down and the Doctor kissed her forehead again. He hung by the door for a moment to make sure that Rose started to eat before he left.

The jug was water, but given the taste Rose was sure that something extra had been added to it. The taste wasn't bad in fact it had a bit of a cherry flavor, but it was noticeable. The food took her a moment longer to try as it was small beans in a strange sauce, but the beans were a purplish color. Once she tried it, Rose discovered that it tasted really good and the strange thought that she might have cooked them for herself occurred to her. Shaking her head, Rose dismissed the thought and finished the meal. She stood up from the island and took her dishes the sink. Rose was pleased to discover a sponge and normal dish soap. Either this version of the Doctor liked using human things or her future-self kept a firm grasp on her roots.

Moving slowly through the corridors, Rose found a few doors with names on them: Aurora, Alistair, Arthur and a few other names leading down one way. She was tempted to explore the living corridor further, but sounds from the console room drew her attention that way. When she entered the console room a moment later the Doctor was pulling on his tweed coat.

"Time to go," the Doctor said. "Judging from the dust cloud coming towards us, I'd say the Pharaoh's army is heading towards us." He looked over at Rose and grinned. "Well the workers did see a woman fighting a god and then a pillar of smoke rising from the pyramid," the Doctor said with a shrug as he adjusted a few controls on the TARDIS. "Can't really blame them now can you?"

"Pity though," Rose said. "I would have liked to see Ancient Egypt."

"I'll bring you here again, don't worry," the Doctor promised as he flipped a lever.

The TARDIS shuddered and Rose grabbed the railing as they dematerialized from the top of a pyramid. Grinning, Rose watched the column colors change and pulse as they moved through time. They stopped with a shudder a moment later and Rose laughed as she was tossed slightly to the side.

"I love the TARDIS," Rose cheered as she righted herself on her feet. Releasing her grip on the rail Rose stepped forward to join the Doctor who was watching her. Leaning up, Rose kissed the Doctor quickly on the lips. "And I love you."

"There's my girl," the Doctor said with a smile. He kissed her quickly. "I love you too." He gestured to the doors. "Back to your own time Miss Tyler."

Rose looked over at the door and sighed softly. "Yeah…"

"It'll be alright," the Doctor told her gently. "Apep is dead now, he can't ever hurt anyone again."

"I know," Rose said with a nod. "But he did a lot of damage."

"You can't change that," the Doctor reminded her. "But I know the feeling."

Rose looked up at him and nodded a moment later. "I know you do," she said softly.

"Right then Rose," the Doctor said clapping his hand together as he moved away from her. "Off you go then."

Rose nodded and adjusted her bag back across her chest before walking down to the door. Reaching the door, Rose set a hand on the door handle, but turned back to the Doctor. He was smiling at her and his green eyes were twinkling. It made Rose very suspicious. She walked back up to the Doctor and used his bowtie to pull him down so she could kiss him. Rose's other hand wove through his hair as she snogged him. His hand came up and gently cupped her cheek, softening the kiss. When they parted, Rose managed to quietly say, "Until next time Doctor."

"Until next time Rose Tyler," the Doctor returned, sounding a little out of breath which made Rose smile.

She turned on her heel and walked to the front door of the TARDIS and exited it, fully expecting the heat of Cairo. Instead she shivered slightly as she stepped out into a cool breeze that smelled like the sea. Rose's eyes widened as she looked out over a city towards the ocean. Spinning back to the TARDIS Rose groaned as she started to dematerialize. Rose's groan turned to a gasp as the TARDIS vanished and she was suddenly looking up at the Athena acropolis.

She gave herself a few moments to properly take in the sight before she pulled out her mobile phone and checked the date. It was two weeks before she had gone to Egypt and three weeks before she was due back at Cambridge.

"Okay," Rose said to herself as she slipped her phone back in her bag. "I've got my passport, emergency money and access to my bank account." She smiled and glanced up at the acropolis, "Not bad Doctor, my day just greatly improved."

She was tempted of course to call the Egyptian Unit branch, the death of Colonel Mostapha and the others could be prevented…. Only Rose also knew that they couldn't be prevented. Shaking her head, Rose forced the idea from her head and decided to focus on her present. She'd enjoy Greece for two weeks and deal with the aftermath of Apep when she was back in synch with UNIT. She glanced back at the acropolis and then down towards the city and then back towards the ruins. She wasn't really that cold anyway Rose decided as she started walking up towards the ruins.

Two days later Rose was sitting on a bench in the agora with a new sketchpad in her hands drawing the acropolis. Next to her was a container of chips from a small stand that she'd located in the tourist district. She'd paid way too much for them, but at the moment she really didn't care as ate another one. The area was quiet and peaceful since January wasn't the major tourist season and the locals found the 55 degree weather on the cold side. Rose herself was dressed in a new t-shirt with a hoodie that she'd picked up the day before while hostel hunting.

"Excuse me," a warm voice said behind her.

Rose turned to see a smaller man dressed in a loose black suit with a white shirt and black bowtie. He had black hair and dark eyes, but was smiling at her gently. As their eyes met Rose saw a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"Yes?" Rose asked.

"Have you seen a young man in a kilt and a girl about your age with brown hair about?"

"I'm afraid not," Rose answered. "What are their names?"

"Jamie and Victoria," the man huffed and Rose had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning at him. Judging from his appearance this was the Second Doctor who had traveled with Ben, Polly and Victoria for a time. "Honestly," the Doctor huffed. "How hard is it to not wander off?!"

Rose smiled at him and picked up the small tray of chips, holding it out to him. "I'm sure that they were just excited by the beauty of Athens. Chip?"

The Doctor smiled at her and took a chip from the tray. "Thank you," he said before popping the chip in his mouth. He sighed and shook his head. "You're right I'm sure. I'm just not certain that they'll stay out of trouble."

"Do they have mobiles?" Rose asked, "You could just call them."

The Doctor chuckled as if enjoying a private joke. "I don't think that would help, even if either of them had a mobile they aren't exactly skilled with that technology."

Rose chuckled, understanding the joke. After all Jamie was a Scottish highlander from the 18th century and Victoria was much younger than Rose knew her and probably hadn't learned much about modern technology.

"They'll wander back I'm sure," Rose said as she picked up another chip.

The Doctor snagged another one himself as he sat down next to Rose and looked over towards the acropolis. They sat in silence for a few minutes and Rose picked up her sketchbook once again. She became aware of the Doctor leaning forward to look at the sketchbook.

"Are you an artist professionally?" the Doctor asked her.

"Not professionally," Rose said with a smile. "I just enjoy taking a break from my studies."

"Ah then you are on holiday," the Doctor observed and Rose wondered what language she was speaking with him.

"Yes," Rose said, hoping she had been speaking English, "I'm a student at Cambridge."

"Wonderful," the Doctor said cheerfully. "Good for you. What subjects?"

"Computer science and physics," Rose replied. "The school agreed to let me do concurrent."

"Doctor!" A sudden shout interrupted and the Doctor turned his head quickly towards the shout.

Rose chuckled as a dark haired man in his twenties rushed up with a much younger Victoria wearing a long skirt with a simple blouse. Both looked out of breath and Jamie had a worried look. The Doctor nodded to them and turned to Rose.

"Lovely speaking with you my dear," he said pleasantly. "But it appears that they have indeed wandered back."

Rose nodded and grinned when the Doctor snagged one last chip before standing up and gesturing to his companions. Unable to resist, Rose waved to Jamie and Victoria before saying, "Nice to meet you as well Doctor."

The trio rushed off towards the acropolis with Jamie speaking rapidly and quietly with the Doctor while Victoria added a few words here and there. Rose leaned forward and rested her chin on her hand as she watched them go. She smiled to herself, it was probably a good thing she saw the acropolis yesterday because she knew that look on the Doctor's face. Looking back down at her sketchbook, Rose shifted it back into position and resumed her drawing.


	21. Becket Enterprises: Richard Becket

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Twenty-One: Richard Becket

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: Apparently I forgot the 'next time trailer' last chapter, I'm sorry about that. After the monster length of last chapter this one is a bit shorter just to get things started.

Rose Tyler stifled the urge to roll her eyes as she sat in front of her laptop computer, the webcam was on and if she did someone would lecture her for it, probably Barbara. The screen of her was filled with small boxes from around the world as the various members of the Companion Club caught up with each other. As usual the third Sunday of the month, February this time was rapidly being consumed by an online conference call.

"Rose I wish you'd let me take a look at that virus that Thane used," Mel said to her, speaking over Polly.

"UNIT doesn't want it getting out," Rose explained, probably for the seventh time since the event in question. "Not even to you. Only Tosh, Malcolm, Kate and I are authorized to work on the Blackout Virus."

Mel pouted at her through the web connection and several members of the club chuckled at the sight.

"I still can't believe that I met you in Greece," Victoria said as she shook her head. "It is hard to believe, I don't remember it at all."

"Well I try not to be too memorable when I run into the Doctor in his past or his companions," Rose said with a shrug. "So I'm not surprised that you don't remember me. It was nice to see Jamie with how much you, Ben and Polly talk about him."

"That means that you've met the Doctor's first, second and fifth bodies in addition to this ninth, tenth and eleventh forms," Jo Jones observed with a curious expression.

"Third too," Rose said before she thought better of it. Her statement got her more weird looks. "It's a long story that includes the White Guardian tossing me back in time through a time window and me kicking the Master's arse."

"That you've never mentioned before," Barbara observed from her place next to Ian. "How many other adventures have you neglected to tell us?"

"I'm sure we all have things we've never told anyone about," Rose said quickly. "That particular trip was not fun for me at all, not even meeting Jo when she was younger and the Doctor in his third body could make that particular trip fun."

That statement seemed to soothe everyone and Jo started taking to Victoria about an upcoming trip she was taking to Germany and the two started to make plans to meet for coffee. When they finished their quick chat Ace and Tegan discussed a recent grant application that Tegan had sent into the A Charitable Earth Foundation for a new project in Australia. Rose leaned back in her desk chair and watched the various companions listen to each other or talk. They'd started the call out like any other, talking about the Doctor and various adventures, but they always mellowed down to catching up with each other.

Rose's mobile began to ring next to her. She pushed back from her laptop and picked up the phone, checking the caller ID which read UNIT. Smiling slightly, Rose flipped open the mobile phone and held it to her ear. She stood up from her chair and walked across the room to get away from the Jo's chatter about her grandchildren.

"This is Tyler," Rose said professionally.

"This is Captain Magambo," the familiar female voice said on the other end of the line. "We need you to come down to London immediately."

"What's happened?" Rose asked as she moved over to the coatrack to grab her shoulder bag and jacket.

"There has been a reappearance of the Blackout Virus," Magambo said calmly, but Rose could detect the underlying urgency in her voice.

"Alright," Rose said looking over at a clock. "If I leave now I can catch a train into London and that will get me there fasted than driving myself, can you have someone pick me up at King's Cross in an hour and fifteen minutes."

"We'll have a car waiting," Magambo agreed.

"I'll see you soon then," Rose said before hanging up the phone and stowing it in her shoulder bag. Rose toed out of her slippers and shoved her feet into the boots waiting by the front door. She quickly double checked that she had the sonic pen, her wallet and her phone.

"Rose?" a voice called from the other side of the room, reminding her that she was still on the conference.

Returning to the laptop, Rose smiled and gave a small wave to everyone. "Sorry, I've got to run. UNIT's called with an emergency." Before anyone could say anything in response Rose ended the call at her end and shut the computer. She'd hear about her abrupt departure later, most likely from Barbara, but she would just have to deal with it later.

She made it to the station just in time to catch the train for King's Cross which was the fastest of the Cambridge to London trains. The station was remarkably busy for a Sunday morning or at least it seemed that way to Rose as she found a seat, but then she didn't often travel back and forth to London via trains on Sunday morning. Settling into her seat, Rose sighed as the train pulled away from the station. Now she had an hour to wonder what was going on in London and if the Blackout Virus was in fact starting to cause havoc again while she was stuck in transit, fantastic.

Rose's mobile rang again about ten minutes later and she quickly pulled it out. Tosh's name flashed on the screen and Rose smiled in relief as she answered.

"Talk to me Tosh," Rose said cheerfully.

"Have you really been that bored lately?" Tosh asked in mild surprise at Rose's tone. "Didn't you just get back from that thing in Egypt and a time cheating vacation in Greece."

"I'm bored on a train," Rose defended. "And that vacation was the Doctor's doing, not mine." Rose looked around her seat, the train was decently filled, but she had empty space around her. "So what is going on?" Rose questioned in a softer voice.

"One of the technology companies that UNIT uses to disperse alien technology into the market reported this morning that their system was showing symptoms of the Blackout Virius."

"On a Sunday?" Rose asked.

"Apparently it was the main inventor Henry Becket and he works a lot on weekends."

"Fair enough," Rose said. "Is the virus showing up anywhere else?"

"No thank goodness," Tosh replied. "Becket took his system off line just to make sure it couldn't spread through the internet, but we're going in to check over everything because that virus had to come from somewhere. You'll meet us there when you arrive."

"Benton thinks it Thane doesn't he?" Rose questioned.

"He thinks it's possible," Tosh admitted. "That's why he wants you here, just in case."

"Lovely," Rose sighed. "Anything else? Any other odd things?"

"You don't know yet," Tosh admitted. "Rose the car is here so I need to go. I'll see you when you get here." There was a pause on the other end and then a laugh, "Kate says hi too." Tosh hung up and Rose stared at the phone for a moment and then down at her watch.

"Great," she muttered. "Only forty-four minutes to go." Rose sighed again and really wished she had grabbed her MP3 player.

Forty-five minutes later Rose stepped onto the platform at King's Cross and tightened her grip on her bag as the crowd surged around her. Rose walked to the end of the platform and let her eyes sweep the area for any sign of a contact. She smiled when she spotted Mickey in street clothing waiting by the entrance. Since he wasn't in uniform Rose had no qualms about walking up and hugging him.

"Good to see you Rose," Mickey said cheerfully as he released her from the hug. "You look amazing."

"Flatter," Rose chuckled, "I look like someone who dressed this morning expecting a lazy Sunday."

"You make it work," Mickey said as he gestured to an exit. "This way."

Mickey navigated his way through the crowd with Rose right behind him. The initial rush of bodies quickly dissipated and Rose could see a black SUV with the UNIT logo on the side waiting at the corner up ahead. She didn't bother waiting for Mickey to open the door even as he moved to do just that and pulled it open herself, sliding into the back seat.

Private Ross smiled at Rose over his shoulder before he turned his attention back to the road. Rose nodded in return to him as Mickey climbed into the passenger seat. She buckled up and tapped her foot as they waited for Ross to be able to pull away from the curb. Soon enough they were on their way.

"Anything else you boys can tell me?" Rose questioned once they were in traffic.

"I'm afraid not much," Mickey said as he looked over his shoulder at her. "The name of the place we're heading is Becket Enterprises, it's a small technology firm that UNIT uses to put alien technology into the mainstream. According to the Captain it's a relatively new one which UNIT has only been working with for about a year, but so far it has been working well. Henry Becket, the founder and owner is some kind of genius and my age. Today he reported that when he came into the office to work on a project that the servers and all computers in the office were showing signs of the Blackout Virus." Mickey shrugged, "That's all I know. After that we were ordered to come and collect you to join the UNIT science team in checking everything over."

"Do you think it could be Thane?" Private Ross asked, glancing at Rose with the mirror.

"I'm not sure," Rose admitted. "After last time I'd imagine that the Judoon would keep him in a much better prison and it was only a few months ago." Rose shook her head, "On the other hand I can't say it isn't him yet."

They fell into silence for a few minutes until Rose decided to ignore formal protocol and started chatting with the two privates about their personal lives. Mickey's classes were still going very well and Ross was apparently recently engaged. For a moment it seemed like Ross was going to ask about Egypt, but caught himself before he could complete the question, something Rose was grateful for. She still didn't know why Apep couldn't attack her and when she'd asked the Tenth Doctor he'd refused to answer with the excuse of 'time lines' and with the death of the Colonel and so many of Egyptian's UNIT division it wasn't a happy topic for Rose.

The car came to a stop in front of a five story relatively new building in an area of London that Rose didn't recognize. A sign in the front indicated that this was Becket Enterprises and Rose quickly climbed out of the car. Glancing around, Rose noted the UNTI scientific mobile unit parked alongside the building with several other UNIT vehicles.

A moment later a female private that Rose did not know stepped out of the front door and nodded to her.

"Welcome Miss Tyler, Captain Magambo is waiting for you inside."

Nodding, Rose moved forward and gave Mickey and Ross a little wave over her shoulder. They stepped into the lobby which was a large open space with security card scanners at the door. A UNIT guard nodded to them and waved them through after tapping a card against the reader. Another guard was sitting behind the front desk and also nodded to them. The room itself was sleek and metal with a simplistic yet elegant feeling to it. For a newer company the place screamed money and success, but then Rose didn't really pay much attention to things like the stock market beyond checking the income for her trust fund. Sharon was the most financial savvy of Rose's friends.

The lift dinged at the far side of the room and Captain Magambo stepped out with a tall man a few years older than Rose with dark brown hair and green eyes. He looked over at Rose and smiled at her before returning his attention to Captain Magambo who was speaking to him. Rose studied the man as they moved over to her. He was dressed in slack with a dress shirt, but the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and had a key car hanging from a lanyard around his neck. To be honest Rose noticed that he was very attractive and walked confidently toward her.

Captain Magambo paused in front of Rose and nodded in greeting to her. "Miss Tyler this is Richard Becket."

Becket smiled again at Rose and held out his hand to her. Rose shook it quickly and returned the smile with one of her own.

"It's nice to meet you Miss Tyler," Becket said warmly. "Thank you for coming."

"Rose if you please," She told him quickly.

"Then please just call me Rich or Richard," he replied as he released her hand. "If you'll follow me I'll show you to the others in the server room."

Rose nodded and glanced over at Captain Magambo who had made her over to the security desk and was speaking with the guard. Richard turned back to the lift and Rose moved to follow him. He swiped the key card through another scanned and pressed one of the keys.

"Thank you for coming" Richard said. "I don't have high clearance at UNIT, but from the little I do know you are apparently the best."

"That's just the rumors talking," Rose told him quickly.

He chuckled and looked back over at her. "Attractive, modest and if your enrollment at Cambridge indicates anything intelligent."

"Thank you," Rose replied blushing slightly. "I'm seeing someone," she said quickly and a bit nervously.

Richard's smile dimmed slightly, but he nodded in understanding. "Well then, please just take that remark as a compliment and not an attempt to flirt."

"Course," Rose said with a relieved nod. She was saved from having to say anything else by the lift doors opening to the computer server room where Malcolm was leaning over Tosh's shoulder to look at her laptop.


	22. Becket Enterprises: Flash Point

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Twenty-Two: Flash Point

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: I'm sorry this took so long, I ended up having to take care of some urgent matters at work and then just couldn't get inspired to write due to exhaustion for a few days.

Malcolm quickly looked over at Rose as she walked into the room with a wide smile on his face. As usual he didn't worry about maintaining any sense of protocol and moved across the room to hug Rose tightly. Smiling, Rose returned the hug and quietly teased Malcolm.

"You saw me last month," she said in a teasing tone.

"And now I'm seeing you again," Malcolm said as he released her and stepped back. He nodded to Richard. "I see you've met our secret weapon."

"Secret weapon?" Rose asked raising an eyebrow.

"Oh yes," Malcolm said cheerfully. "You have one of the best success records in UNIT and favor science over traditional military tactics." Malcolm grinned wider, "You do the Science Division proud."

Rose smiled and nodded, but looked past Malcolm to Tosh who was watching them with a smile. "How much coffee has he had?" Rose asked her.

Tosh chuckled and turned back to her laptop as she answered, "Far too much and Kate is getting more for him."

"Oh dear," Rose said with a wink to Malcolm before she walked over to Tosh. She gave the Asian woman a quick hug and examined the code in the computer.

"Black out virus?" Rose verified.

"Yeah," Tosh said with a nod. "But it hasn't left the building, the replication sequence is gone."

"Really?" Rose said as she sat down next to Tosh. "Why would someone remove the replication sequence? That's part of what made it so dangerous."

"Exactly why we are concerned," Kate Stewart said as she entered the room via the lift with a tray of coffee. A UNIT guard with a car key nodded to everyone before the lift closed. Kate set the tray on the center table and smiled at Rose. "Welcome to the party."

"Some party," Rose said as she glanced around, but she couldn't help but smile at Kate. Standing up, Rose quickly hugged the older blonde woman before asking, "Do we have any theories as to how the virus got into Becket Enterprise's server and why?"

"Nothing yet," Malcolm said as he joined them. "The security footage has been examined several times, but no one who isn't authorized has gotten into the building."

Rose turned to look over at Richard and asked, "Is it possible that the server was hacked from outside?"

"No," Richard said shaking his head at her question. "This holds sensitive information about UNIT so it can only be access by two direct lines in the building, in here or my office."

"And you're certain that no unauthorized access has occurred?" Rose questioned.

"Nothing came up," Richard said shifting his weight slightly, "But I'm about to go upstairs and manually check all of the access records to make sure. It might have been possible for someone to hide their access on the surface level, but my personal machine tracks if the lift opens down here or if my computer is used." Richards looked at the others who were still studying the modified virus. "If you like to join me I could use another set of eyes checking things."

Rose glanced over at Malcolm who gave a quick nod as he sipped from his newest cup of coffee. Tosh and Kate were speaking quietly while Kate wrote down a few things on a notebook. Looking back at Richard, Rose nodded and said, "Alright then. Lead the way."

Richard had to use his card key twice more to access the upper floor of the building and they had to stop to send a UNIT guard down to the server room with one of the keys that Becket Enterprises had provided. Rose sort of wanted on herself, not because it was really vital or anything like that, but it looked a bit important to be swiping the cards to unlock doors and security systems. She smiled to herself at the thought as Richard used the key one last time to open his personal office.

It was spacious room and nicely decorated, but rather impersonal Rose observed as her eyes swept the room. There were no photos, silly little knick knacks or even messy notes on the desk. But maybe he had cleaned it up to look as professional as possible when UNIT arrived given that there was a potential security breech and his was a new company working with them.

"Alright," Richard said with a smile as he moved around the desk and pulled out the keyboard tray. "Let's see what we've got."

Rose pulled a chair around so she could sit next to Richard as he pulled up a long list of entry codes, dates and names. She remained silent as Richard started scrolling through each entry one at a time as her eyes scanned for anything unusual.

"So do you like Cambridge?" Richard asked.

"Yes," Rose said. "Did you attend Uni?"

"No," Richard replied with a chuckle. "I was a teenage hacker who got into far too much trouble. That's actually part of how I found out about aliens and UNIT."

"Really?" Rose asked with a hint of surprise.

"Few months back I was working in a garage when I found plans in a government database for a new computer processor." Richard shrugged, "I managed to build the thing and UNIT was impressed."

"I'm surprised I didn't hear about that," Rose remarked.

"I was living in New York City at the time," Richard explained. "So it was the US branch that come knocking on my door." He glanced over at her with a charming smile. "So when they agreed to help me get started in creating modified alien technology and getting a company set up I decided to return to my home town."

"So you're a Londoner?" Rose questioned. "I can't place your accent."

"My family was pretty bottom of the barrel," Richard said calmly. "I moved a lot growing up so my accent is a bit of mix and then I lived in the states for several years." He looked over at Rose again. "Now you're fairly obvious Miss Cockney."

"Born and breed," Rose replied before turning her eyes back to the computer screen. "I'll be honest I'm not sure what I should be looking for."

Richard laughed warmly and pointed at the right side of the screen. "This is the official records that the computer pulled up this morning," he explained and then pointed the left side. "And this are the locked backup copy kept on my private server. I'm hoping that whoever uploading the Blackout virus modified the master version, but missed the private server copy."

"Right," Rose said blushing slightly. "So something that doesn't match up is all we're looking for, I was thinking it was more complex."

Richard chuckled, "Usually it is, but today not so much." Then he stopped and pointed at an entry. "Here is something odd," he observed. "This was accessed with my key coding, but I wasn't in the building."

"Are you certain," Rose asked as her eyes scanned the entry.

"Positive," Richard said with a nod. "And look at this, it doesn't show up on the master list so it was edited out."

"Can you see if they access anything other than the server room?" Rose asked.

Richard nodded quickly and started typing in a protocol and his key code number into the computer. He frowned when another entry popped up.

"What is that?" Rose questioned quickly, a bit worried by Richard's cheerful manner vanishing.

"It's one of the labs," Richard said as he pushed his chair back to stand. "We're working on some prototypes of energy cells from the Tervtian ship in there."

"Dangerous?" Rose asked sharply.

"I wouldn't think so," Richard said slowly, but as he looked over and saw Rose's tense expression he swallowed, "But almost anything can become dangerous. We'd better check it out."

Rose fully expected Richard to push away from the desk, but instead he brought up the security camera and entered a series of passwords. A moment later the screen was filled with the image of a standard lab. The camera was at an angle near the ceiling and looking down at a work table in the large main area with bit and pieces of machines on it. Several smaller rooms could be seen with the camera off the main area. Richard hit another set of keys and the angle changed to another camera. This time Rose could see a compact rectangular device sitting on one of the worktables. The box itself glowed slightly with a few tubes showing on the side. Around it were a few smaller devices that she couldn't quite see from their current angle.

"That the energy cell?" Rose questioned.

"Yeah," Richard said in a low tone. "It's been redesigned, but that's it." He huffed softly and zoomed the camera in on the device. "It looks normal."

"Was it put away?" Rose asked. "Should it even be out?"

"Yes actually," Richard said with a nod and he pointed to one of the small devices. "These are reading its stasis energy output over the course of a few days." Richard ran a hand though his dark hair and rubbed his neck in frustration. "Everything is exactly where it should be."

"So why does something feel off," Rose finished with a nod.

Richard nodded in agreement and stood up from his desk. "Let's make sure we're seeing what we think we're seeing," he said as he pulled out his card key and headed for the door.

Rose glanced at the image of the device one more time before she followed Richard out into the hall and back to the lift. Richard's body was tense as he pulled out his key card and activated the lift to take them back to the lobby. He tapped his fingers impatiently while the lift moved and Rose gave him a small, what she hoped was a calming smile. Richard looked at her and the tension eased slightly and he managed to give her a tiny smile in return.

"Worrying doesn't help," Rose said softly before the lift opened.

"Perhaps not," Richard muttered. "But it's bloody difficult not to."

Captain Magambo must have read Richard's expression because she quickly crossed the hall with Mickey and a private that Rose had never met, but seen around. She thought his name might be Marks. A quick glance at his name tag when they got close verified this.

"I'm afraid Captain that one of the labs has been accessed," Richard said. "According to the security cameras everything is in order."

Rose stayed quite as Richard identified the lab that had been accessed by their unknown visitor on the small map that the Captain was carrying. Magambo nodded sharply in understanding and gestured to Mickey and Private Marks to follow her. The five of them reentered the lift and Rose stood with Richard as he used his key card to access the proper floor. The air in the lift was tense as everyone stayed focused on their own thoughts. Rose was wondering, not for the first time today if Thane had really returned or someone was just making use of the virus. It wasn't hard to believe that someone could have managed to safely contain the Blackout virus and was using it to get information they wanted. It could be Torchwood or even a private company after the secrets of Becket Enterprises.

Rose forced herself out of her thoughts as the lift dinged softly as they reached the correct floor. Richard stepped out first into the sterile grey hallways and gestured toward a door on the far side of the corridor. Magambo nodded and stalked towards the doorway quickly. Joining the captain at the doorway, Richard looked through the small window careful and visibly relaxed.

"Everything looks to be in place," he announced after his inspection. He slid his key car through the security scanned at the right side of the door.

"Wait out here," Magambo said to Richard before looking over at Rose. "Just to be sure."

Mickey and his fellow private raised their weapons and stepped into the room slowly. Marks stepped to point as Mickey moved along behind him. Rose peeked around Captain Magambo and frowned slightly to herself. Everything in the lab seemed to be place exactly as it looked on the camera footage, but surely something had been removed or altered in some way. She glanced over at Richard to find him watching the movements of the soldiers carefully.

Looking back to Mickey, Rose nibbled at her lip with worry. Rose wanted to move closer, but Captain Magambo remained firmly in her way. Everyone was still as Marks stepped closer to the energy cell.

"Becket does it look any different?" Magambo questioned.

"Not from here," Richard replied, "But I'll need to get closer to be sure.

"Nothing seems out of place ma'am," the private said from in the room. He then took a step back towards the door and there was a soft click. Rose tensed as the energy cell began to emit a high pitched whining sound.

"Get out of there!" Richard shouted next to her. "It's not supposed to do that."

"Mickey!" Rose shouted in alarm, taking an involuntary step forward.

The whine began higher and almost painful as the device suddenly started to spark electric blue. A hand grabbed hers and Rose felt herself being pulled harsh to the side. She collided with Richard's chest and was spun back against the wall just as a flash of electric blue light exploded from the doorway. Rose slammed her eyes shut as several horrible screams echoed in the space.

Silence descended as quickly as the chaos had started and Rose's eyes snapped open. Her back was against the wall to the left of the doorway with a panting Richard leaning over her protectively. Their eyes met for a split second before Richard groaned and nearly collapsed on top of her.

Rose caught his weight as gently as she could, but tensed when her hand slid over what felt like flaking paint. Richard gasped in pain and Rose lowered him to the ground quickly. Once he was sitting, Rose's eyes caught sight of a terrible burn running down the side of his body that had been exposed to the blast. His right shoulder and down the side of his body were smoking and the skin was a dark red and already peeling.

"Oh god," Rose gasped as Richard lost consciousness.

Jumping to her feet, Rose lunged towards the doorway as she screamed, "Mickey!"


	23. Becket Enterprises: Radiation Alert

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Twenty-Three: Radiation Alert

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: This chapter, heck this episode is dedicated to Miss Snazzy who gave me my very first fan art for this series! I had a lot of fun ready your reviews for the last chapter, Mickey got a lot of love from all of you. Anyway this is a bit late because I had a chance to go home and see my entire extended family which I took of course. Hope all of you had a lovely weekend.

Jumping to her feet, Rose lunged towards the doorway as she screamed, "Mickey!"

An arm wrapped around her out of nowhere and pulled her back sharply. Rose struggled against the grip for a moment in a blind panic to get to Mickey before her senses caught up and she became aware of UNIT staff rushing around her. A pair of medics were already gently shifting Richard onto a stretched and Captain Magambo was being moved from the doorway.

Turning her head, Rose relaxed slightly as she caught sight of Private Ross' worried, but determined expression. She stopped trying to move towards the doorway and Ross released her slowly, keeping an eye on her as if he didn't trust her. Swallowing, Rose forced herself to step back from the doorway even as she noted that none of the soldiers were entering the room just yet. A warm hand on her shoulder made Rose turn to the right. Kate was giving her a firm, but caring expression.

"Let them do their jobs," Kate said. "And we'll do ours."

Rose swallowed and managed a nod before she allowed Kate to pull her further back from the room. She noted as they moved away that the light in the room had lessened and now there was just a low blue glow coming from the device.

"Whatever it was it seems to have just been an energy burst," Kate observed as they walked to a table that was being set up with soldiers. Tosh and Malcolm were already opening up metal suitcases with equipment tucked inside. Malcolm looked up at Rose with soft eyes, but said nothing after giving her a quick nod. Tucking some hair behind her ear, Rose moved around behind Tosh to look at the sensor arrays that she was pointing towards the doorway.

"There's still some kind of radiation," Tosh observed after a moment. "Not any sort that we have ever seen on Earth, but it definitely there."

The sound of more people moving towards them made Rose look up and she sighed in relief as three figures in radiation suits walked towards the doorway with hand scanners.

"Thank goodness we had the mobile unit here," Malcolm said softly to Rose who nodded.

"It's still going off," Tosh announced a moment later.

"Are you certain?" Malcolm questioned as he shifted ot steady the readouts that Tosh was tracking.

"Not as strong, not nearly," Tosh said. "But I'm tracking regular low bursts of energy every thirty seconds."

They all glanced at each other and Rose felt bile rise into her throat. "Can we get a camera into the room? Or send the people in the radiation suits in?"

"A camera we can try," Malcolm said as he looked over at the three figures who were carefully measuring radiation around the door. "But I can't send those men in without having an idea if they are safe or not."

Rose swallowed and nodded despite the desire to protest. This wasn't the time and she was emotionally compromised. She was in fact a little surprised that Malcolm hadn't ordered her removed.

"Toshiko," Malcolm asked. "Are those burst still consistent?"

"Yes," Tosh said, "But I can report that none of the radiation seems to be getting through the lab walls," she reported. "It's possible that it can only affect organic matter and not metal."

"That is possible," Kate observed. "In explosions it is the shockwave that causes most of the damage and radiation is an aftereffect."

"Have a sensor put in the same protective covering as the radiation suits," Malcolm told Kate. "Let's see if sending people in is safe."

Kate nodded and turned to walk toward Ross quickly. Rose followed her movements with her eyes for a short time before she turned back to the sensors."

"Any thoughts on where it is still releasing energy?" Rose asked as she pulled out the sonic pen. "Maybe we can shut it down."

"Almost there," Toshiko said. "If we can get a camera inside then maybe this can work."

Rose nodded and tried to contain her excitement. Turning she caught sight of one of the soldiers bringing a package towards them. He handed it to Malcolm who relaxed slightly and nodded.

"We just need to toss this into the room," Malcolm announced as he motioned one of the men in radiation suits over to him. As he handed off the package Rose noted the rope tied to one end that the man took a hold of. Rose watched silently as the man, she couldn't tell who it was, walked over near the doorway, set the package on the floor and gently kicked it into the room.

"A few minutes should tell us if we can go in," Malcolm told Rose gently.

"I'm alright," Rose said quickly, worried at the tone of Malcolm's voice.

Malcolm nodded to Rose, but she could see that he was still worried. Instead of saying anything or crowding Tosh, Rose moved over with Kate to wait for the results. She leaned against the far wall and crossed her arms across her chest. The older blonde looked over at her with a gentle smile, but said nothing and Rose found herself grateful for the silence. Rose closed her eyes and took a few slow breathes to calm down. Briefly she thought about calling the Doctor, but she had nothing absolute she could tell him yet. Rose forced herself to let out another slow breath, listening to the movement of UNIT personnel in the crowded hallway. Everyone was jammed on one side of the doorway, everyone unwilling to cross in front of it. Rose was briefly grateful to Richard for pulling her to the proper side so she wasn't trapped. Of course she was grateful to Richard for helping her. Opening her eyes, Rose scanned the hallway and noted that all but two of the medics had left the area.

"Do we know the status of Richard and Magambo?" Rose asked Kate softly.

"There isn't anything new," Kate answered in a low voice, "But when they left the medics were saying the damage wasn't permanent."

"Those looked like third or fourth degree burns," Rose said. "How is that not permanent?"

"UNIT has developed some very effective treatments," Kate said gently. "We have some things that aren't available to the public. Something we got from the Tervtians I believe."

"Is there a reason they aren't available yet?" Rose questioned, glad for the distraction.

"Apparently there isn't a simple procedure for producing them yet," Kate sighed and nodded to the hallway. "Beckett Enterprises is working on that as well I believe."

"Did UNIT hand over all the Tervtian stuff to them or something," Rose muttered.

"Maybe," Kate answered with a slight smile. "There is a limit to how much time the UNIT science team can devote to such things around dealing with active threats. Geneva thought it was a good time to start using outside intelligences."

"I'm not sure about that," Rose admitted. "Before I'd say it was a good idea, but now…" Rose nodded to the doorway, "Maybe it is too exposed."

"There are bound to be some growing pains," Kate said. "But UNIT is trying to improve itself. Science leads."

Rose looked over at Kate with a quizzical expression at Kate's words. "What do you want for UNIT?" Rose asked quietly.

"I'd like to see it led by scientists," Kate admitted with a smile. "Not just our sort of scientists, but linguists, anthropologists, biologists or botanists. People who can look at something new with wonder and give it a chance." Kate stilled and chuckled. "You're deceptively easy to talk to Rose."

"Part of my charm," Rose replied with a smile. "I knew there was a reason that I liked you."

A sudden burst of activity near the life made Rose straighten and push away from the wall. General Benton stepped out of the lift and quickly saluted the three men standing nearby. He turned and walked straight for Malcolm.

"Doctor Taylor," he greeted shortly. "Do we know the status of the men who were in the room?"

"No sir," Malcolm said regretfully.

"Is there any chance they are alive?" Benton questioned.

Malcolm wilted a little and swallowed. "Not much of one sir," he answered. "But the radiation seems not to pass through metal. If they took cover under the table or behind a shelf then they may have survived. Since the first blast there have been small bursts which prevent us from entering the room directly." Malcolm gestured towards the door. "We have a sensor in the room now to determine if we can enter in radiation suits."

"Good," Benton said with a nod. He looked around at the assembled UNIT personnel. "On my way here I was briefed on Captain Magambo's status, she is stable and regained consciousness for a few minutes before she was put under for surgery."

There wasn't a cheer from those assembled, but some of the tension did ease. A moment later one of the men in radiation suits pulled the sensor out of the room and picked it up after scanning it with his hand held. Rose and Kate both moved over to Malcolm as he accepted the sensor package from one of the soldiers. He unwrapped it gently with gloved hands and set it down next to the computers. Holding her breath, Rose watched as Malcolm checked the levels the sensor had recorded as opposed to the computers.

"It doesn't shield against all of the radiation," he announced a moment later. "But enough of it that they can rush in quickly to check for our men." Malcolm checked a few more things. "Three minutes top before the energy pulses will become too much."

"Go," Benton ordered quickly. "Set an alarm," he ordered another soldier. "Two minutes and then you are out."

The three men in radiation suits nodded and waited for a signal when the alarm was set. They stepped through the open doorway and Rose heard Tosh gasp softly. Turning quickly to the woman Rose leaned over and examined Tosh's screen. The energy pulses had dropped off suddenly.

"What does that mean?" Tosh asked herself quietly before she tapped Malcolm's arm and directed his attention to the screen.

"When they stepped inside the first time something went off," Kate said. "What if it wasn't a normal trap, but some kind of biological scanner."

"General!" Malcolm shouted quickly. "Unknown reaction is taking place. They need to get out!"

Organized chaos was the only way to describe what happened next as Benton barked his orders and shouts answered from inside the room. Rose stopped breathing as a moment later the first of the men emerged holding one end of a long piece of metal with a body on it. He was followed out of the room by the other two men each holding a corner of the large piece of metal. The body was badly burned on its back, but Rose could see the unburned front side of the body, the man had light skin. Rose tensed as the medics rushed forward to check Marks as the men in radiation suits held the remains of one of the shelves steady.

"He's alive," one of the medics announced. "We need to get him to a hospital immediately."

Rose couldn't move. She wanted to yell at them to get Mickey out of the room, rush forward into the room herself or start crying. Hopefully it was professionalism or the realization that it wouldn't help Mickey. She watched carefully as the medics applied some kind of salve to the charred skin of Marks' back and his lack of response. They carefully moved him onto a proper stretched and a few moments later he was on a portal respirator. As the medics vanished with Marks into the lift things became to move again as everyone cleared back from the laboratory.

Rose released a breath that she hadn't known she'd been holding and returned to Toshiko to look over her shoulder. "When they go back in?" Rose questioned before her eyes took in the levels of radiation. "Bloody hell," Rose breathed in terror.

"What is happening!?" Benton demanded.

"We need to go!" Kate snapped as she closed one of the cases. "Take the stairs and not the lift! Move!" She ordered sharply.

Benton didn't react for a moment, but nodded at the command. "Upstairs!" He ordered sending those still in the hallway to start moving. Benton looked back at Malcolm. "What is going on?"

"Something else is happening," Tosh swallowed and added, "I think this weapon has a second stage and I'm not sure how big it is."

"I've got another man in there," Benton said urgently.

"I know," Tosh said softly. "But you may be about to lose a lot more."

Rose made a soft noise and took an involuntary step towards the room before Benton caught her arm. Pulling her after him, Benton headed for the staircase. Rose didn't fight his grip despite the desire to help Mickey, but wasn't actively trying to leave. They all moved quickly for the staircase, but Rose saw Benton look back towards the lab and frown. Benton's expression hardened and he marched towards her and gripped her arm before leading her up the stairs.

Rose pulled away from Benton as soon as they reached the upper level. Tosh and Malcolm had already rushed to the security cameras as Kate set up the sensor stations once again. She tossed Rose a few sensors which she turned and tossed down the stairs, ignoring Benton's protest. Joining Kate, Rose peered at the radiation levels which continued to rise.

"Are we going to be safe here?" Rose questioned.

"For now," Kate said softly. "But be ready to move."

"This is a populous area of London," Rose said quietly. "This just became a crisis."

"Can you disarm this with the sonic pen?" Kate asked.

"No," Rose said. "I don't know enough about this to use the pen softly. For all I know I could cause the thing to blow up."

"I see," Kate said as she watched the radiation levels. "Rose I don't think that-"

"Please don't," Rose said quickly. "I'm going to hope until I know that he's…" Rose swallowed. "I'll be right back."

Stepping back from Kate, Rose found an empty corridor off of the lobby where she could easily regroup with the others. Pulling out her mobile, Rose pressed one and lifted it to her ear waiting for the Doctor or Donna to answer the phone. Rose waited as her mobile rang and made a soft cry when there was a beep indicating to leave a message.

"Doctor," Rose chocked out. "I need you on Earth. 19 February 2006 at Becket Enterprises in London. Please," she added in a whisper. "I really need you here right now."

She closed her mobile phone gently and took in a deep breath as she glanced around, hoping for the TARDIS to appear. Back out in the hall she could still hear orders being given and people rushing around. Shivering, Rose hugged herself quickly. She didn't even know if Mickey was still alive in that bloody room. Shaking her head, Rose forced herself to leave that thought.

"He's alive," she told herself. "He's got to be."

Rose waited in the corridor for another moment before taking a shaky breath. She turned to head back into the lobby, but stopped when the wheezing sound of the TARDIS echoed in the corridor. Spinning, Rose turned towards the sound and nearly sobbed in relief as the TARDIS began to materialize. As the door opened, Rose just stopped herself from launching herself forward to hug her significant other when his previous form stepped out. The blue-eyed Doctor looked at Rose with a curious and worried expression.

"You called?" he questioned.

"Yeah," Rose managed, "Yes I did."


	24. Becket Enterprises: When in Doubt Sonic

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Twenty-Four: When in Doubt Sonic It

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: I'm so sorry for the wait on this chapter. Illness has been going around my office and those of us who aren't sick are juggling extra work with our own right now. Additionally I lost about half of the chapter to a computer glitch. Good news is I've got over 1,000 words written for the next chapter so I'll be shooting for an early catch up release.

The blue-eyed Doctor looked at Rose with a curious and worried expression.

"You called?" he questioned.

"Yeah," Rose managed, "Yes I did."

The Doctor starred at her for a long moment taking her expression and posture with a single searching glance. He nodded to himself, forced a small smile and stepped forward.

"Come here," he said gently.

Rose was a bit surprised as the Doctor opened his arms, but accepted the friendly gesture. She stepped into the embrace and wrapped her arms around him for a second longer than would have been considered merely friendly before she managed to relax.

"Right then," The Doctor said as he released Rose and stepped back. "What's the crisis?"

"A piece of alien technology was being reconstructed here," Rose explained as calmly as she could. "It was a Tervtian energy cell, but it was altered somehow and went through a radiation explosion. As far as we can tell it is still intact in the lab, but the radiation levels are building." Rose swallowed, "The people who were caught in the first flash explosion were all badly burned."

The Doctor's eyes scanned Rose quickly and she managed a watery smile. "I was pulled out of the way," she said softly. "I'm fine."

"Are the other's alive?" the Doctor asked as he studied her face.

"The ones we have now are," Rose said even as her throat constricted. "But Mickey was still in the lab when the radiation started to build… we couldn't get to him."

Rose closed her eyes as the tear began to well up at the horrible thoughts that became to race through her mind. She took a difficult breath as terrible images of Mickey's burned corpse or disintegrating body flashed behind her closed eyes.

"Rose," the Doctor said softly and gently in front of her. She felt the weight of his hand on her shoulder. "Rose," he called again, sounding unsure.

Forcing her eyes, open Rose looked up into the Doctor's face. He was standing right in front of her and his expression was worried, determined and a little lost. She sniffed and nodded to him.

"I'm alright," Rose assured him as she brought up a hand and brushed away some tears. "Let's just-"

Then the Doctor surprised her by drawing her against him in a tight hug. Rose breathed in the smell of his leather coat, the slight smell of grease and the strange blend of other scents that surrounded the man. Her body relaxed against him and she took another breathe to strengthen herself before pulling back.

"Okay," the Doctor said with a nod. "Let's go take care of this." He took Rose's hand in his as they started to walk back to the main room where UNIT was waiting.

No one said anything about Rose's red eyes when she and the Doctor joined Malcolm and the stern look on the Doctor's face cut back any questions or greeting he might have gotten otherwise. Benton just nodded in greeting to the man and started rapidly telling the Doctor everything UNIT knew about the building. Looking around, Rose noticed that Tosh was missing.

"Kate?" Rose asked quietly as she leaned over to whisper to the blonde woman who was watching the Doctor with interest. As Kate's eye swung to her Rose was surprised at the affection in them, but asked. "Where's Tosh?"

"She's retrieving the sonic modulator," Kate said in an equally low voice. "She thought that it could be used to cancel out some of the radiation by altering the frequency of the electromagnetic particles."

"Oh," Rose said simply.

"I don't know much about radiation either," Kate said to her with a small smile as they moved back to give the Doctor some space to question Benton and Malcolm.

Rose let herself be led over to the security booth and handed a cup of tea. It wasn't very good, but the warm liquid soothed Rose's throat and she allowed herself to relax slightly. Their best chance was here now, even if it hadn't been the Doctor she'd expected.

"This will start some new rumors," Kate's voice said with an amused tone.

"What will?" Rose asked as she looked over at her older friend.

"He came when you called," Kate told her with a smile. "He isn't exactly known for that."

"I was pretty upset in the message," Rose admitted. "It probably worried him hearing me like that."

"At least it was a version that knows you," Kate observed calmly a moment later. "Could have been confusing over wise."

Rose actually smiled a little as her eyes went back to the blue-eyed Doctor who was still questioning Malcolm about the situation. She knew that she really should be over there helping, but was also grateful to Kate for pulling her away for a few moments.

"The TARDIS handles the phone," Rose said with a soft smile. "He mentioned that to me once when I asked if I had to worry about calling up his first body." Rose chuckled. "That would have been horrible and funny at the same time." Rose looked over at the blue-eyed Doctor, "But I wasn't expecting her to pick this one."

"He still came when you called," Kate observed.

"He comes when I really need him, but timelines…" Rose trailed off and looked back at Kate as something clicked into place. Maybe it was what Kate had said earlier about sciene leading UNIT into the future, the way Benton acted around her or the way she had been watching the Doctor with almost affection. Whatever the reason, it finally clicked into place and Rose actually smiled. "But he doesn't always come when your father calls I suppose." Rose observed.

Kate blinked at Rose and then slowly smiled. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Did Spock tell you that?"

"No," Rose said. "Lots of little things," she added. "But mostly from science leads and how you're looking at the Doctor right now."

Kate opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it and chuckled. "I was older when Dad started telling me about the Doctor, but it was always clear that Dad considered him a dear friend. As for the science leads… well Dad learned that from an old friend." Kate closed her eyes and shook her head. "Malcolm and Benton know of course," she said. "But I'd rather the others didn't."

"I get it," Rose told her quickly with a nod. "I was hired because of the Doctor," Rose shook her head sadly as her thoughts turned sad again. "Connections are hard to overcome," Rose smiled at Kate. "No one will hear from me."

"Ready to join the others?" Kate questioned. "See if we can help?

"Yeah," Rose said as she set down the cool tea. "Thank you."

As they were walking over to join the Doctor the front door opened and Tosh walked into the foyer with two UNIT soldiers and the metal case that the sonic modulator was kept it. The Doctor looked up at them as Toshiko approached him a little nervously.

"Toshiko right?" the Doctor asked, clearly remembering the woman.

"Yes," Tosh answered with a nervous little smile. "Hello Doctor."

"What's this?" the Doctor asked as he examined the case which she set down next to the computers.

Malcolm's hero worship of the Doctor kicked in. "This is our sonic modulator Doctor," Malcolm said as he opened the case and carefully drew out the machine. Cradling it in both hands he nodded proudly to Tosh and said, "Tosh here made the initial working design."

"Sonic modulator huh," the Doctor asked as he took it from Malcolm's hands. "Not bad, you did good on the diode crystal," the Doctor observed as he inspected the modulator.

"We used Rose's crystal to artificially grow a similar structure," Malcolm explained.

The Doctor glanced over at Rose and smiled as she lifted her long chain which held her TARDIS key, biodamper and the crystal pendent he'd given her at the age of eleven. Smiling at her, the Doctor nodded in recognition and then looked over at the radiation readings thoughtfully.

"You were thinking about using the modulator to affect the radiation," the Doctor guessed with a frown.

"Uh yes," Tosh said slowly. "It might be possible to use the modulator's frequency to change the electromagnetic nature of the radiation enough to get close."

"Won't work," the Doctor said shortly. "Not with this kind of radiation. I recognize this stuff. It was developed on a planet in the Trisgis system during a war." The Doctor paused, "They used them as a form of landmine." The Doctor's frown deepened. "Thane helped start that war," he said as he looked over at Benton. "But no sign of him?"

"The use of the Blackout virus was the only tie we found to Thane," Benton answered, "But can you be sure Doctor?"

"No," the Doctor said as he tapped the sonic modulator thoughtfully as he held it in one hand. Rose saw Malcolm watching fearfully, torn between his faith in the Doctor and the possible horror of him dropping the sonic modulator. "But it hardly matters," the Doctor said finally. A manic smile broke out over his face a moment later. "And if it is based on the landmines then it means that your man might still alive in that lab and that we can turn it off from up here."

"How?" Tosh asked with wide eyes.

The Doctor turned his manic grin on her and raised the sonic modulator in one had while pulling out the sonic screwdriver. "The energy cell contains some fragile parts," the Doctor explained. "Set a high enough frequency and we can cause them to collapse and stop working that should shut it off."

The Doctor put the sonic modulator down on the table and gestured for the computers to be moved. Malcolm snatched up one of the mobile computers with its sensors from the table while Kate stepped around Rose to pick up the second one. Rose watched them for a moment as they evacuated the expensive equipment away from the Doctor. The Doctor ignored them as he adjusted his sonic screwdriver and held it near the modulator.

"Is this going to damage the building?" Benton asked. "Like that machine of Thanes in Croydon?"

"Not to the same level," the Doctor answered quickly as he glanced over at Rose. "From what I heard about it, part of that was the longevity of the signal. If I set this up right then it will be a sharp burst." The Doctor shrugged, "Might break a few things here and there, but it won't bring the building down." The Doctor's frown returned as he made another adjustment.

Rose stepped forward and pulled out the sonic pen, having a feeling he was about to ask. Sure enough he straightened up and turned towards her, opened his mouth and then blinked at the sight of the pen already being held out to him. "Good girl," he said before snatching the pen from her hand.

"You said Mickey might be alive," Rose said softly.

"It doesn't travel through metal well," the Doctor said. "Good in fields and on roads, but in a lab… if he got behind something then he would have been partially protected. This stuff isn't exactly like anything you lot are familiar with."

Rose nodded and clung to the Doctor's words. If he'd known he wouldn't get the door then Mickey would have tried to take cover. The lab had lots of tables and shelves and just maybe…. Rose took a breath and focused on the Doctor. He was leaning over the sonic modulator with a look of great concentration, programming in just the right frequency so he could destroy the pieces of the device without hurting anyone. Rose swallowed, she wouldn't have been able to manage that. She and Tosh would have tried, but without detailed information like what the Doctor had in that impressive brain of his they would've been stuck with trial and error.

"Here Rose," the Doctor said suddenly. "Hold this."

Rose moved over to stand right next to the Doctor and took back her sonic pen from him. Grasping her hand, he adjusted the angle of how she held it and activated it again. Rose kept her hand still and level as the Doctor used his own free hand to make another adjustment to the sonic modulator.

"Here we go," the Doctor said before pressing the activation button of the sonic modulator. The loud humming of the sonic device echoed in the marble and metal foyer. Then Rose heard a strange clicking sound before the radio of Benton's waist suddenly sparked. Around the room Rose saw other radios spark and the Doctor called out, "Sorry about that."

The humming stopped a moment later when the Doctor turned off the device. He straightened up and turned to look over at Malcolm who was nervously studying the computer's readout. The lead scientist's expression suddenly brightened and he nearly fell over himself as he stood up.

"The radiation just dropped off sir!"

"Good to hear," Benton said with relief in his voice. He turned to look at the men waiting in radiation suits. "Go have a look, I'd say to stay in radio contact, but…" Benton looked at his radio and then back at the Doctor.

"Oops," the Doctor said with a shrug. "Could've been the sensors that blew instead."

Rose looked over to see Malcolm almost hugging the computerize sensor unit and Kate watching with a fond smile. Her eyes returned to the men in the radiation suits as they headed for the staircase. Without the radios they couldn't tell them if Mickey was alright.

"Sir if the radiation has dropped then can't I-" Rose started to ask Benton.

"No," Benton said firmly. "We don't know how much of the radiation is going to be retained by materials down there," Benton said more gently a moment later. "Let's avoid unnecessary risks."

The Doctor watched the exchange silently and Rose sighed, but nodded. She slipped the sonic pen back into her ponytail and went over to the Doctor.

"No matter what happens to Mickey… thank you for coming," she said softly.

The Doctor didn't say anything to her, but crossed his arms and watched the doorway. "He your boyfriend?" the Doctor asked after what seemed like an eternity.

"Mickey?" Rose asked with wide eyes. The Doctor nodded and Rose chuckled at the thought that he might be jealous. "No," she said with a shake of her head. But he's a good friend." She paused and swallowed. "Plus he wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me."

"What do you mean?"

"Mickey grew up with me at the Powell Estates," Rose explained in a low voice. "He was always like my big brother." Rose paused," He was one of the kids that the Piper took."

The Doctor nodded in understanding. "How did he come to be in UNIT?"

"Horath," Rose explained. "When Sharon and Shireen couldn't reach UNIT after I gave the alert they got Mickey to drive them to the academy. After that UNIT hired him on."

"It's not your fault," the Doctor told her gently.

"I know that," Rose told him giving him a small smile. "But are you really going to say that you don't feel guilty when the people you bring into your world get hurt." The Doctor opened his mouth, but nothing came out. "Same thing for me," Rose said softly with a sigh. "Fault or not, I still feel responsible."

The sudden noise of people moving caused Rose's attention to snap back to the stairwell. The three men were carrying a stretcher carefully.

"He's alive," one announced loudly, his voice muffled by the mask, but Rose still heard him. "One of the metal shelves fell over him!"

The medics rushed forward to take Mickey from them. Rose moved forward a few steps to watch as Mickey was rushed out the front door to the UNIT ambulance. Swallowing she turned back to the Doctor who was watching with a gentle smile.

"Go on," the Doctor said. "Until next time Rose Tyler."

Grinning in relief, Rose stepped up the Doctor and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Until next time Doctor and thank you."

She turned to find Kate waiting for her. The blonde woman smiled at the Doctor and nodded her thanks to him. "Come on Rose, Malcolm's ordered me to take you to the hospital."

"Thank you Kate," Rose said as she stepped towards her friend. She paused ready to introduce Kate, but the older woman shook her head and put a hand on Rose's shoulder. "Come on hon," she said. "Let's go."

Rose fell silent and let herself be led to the front door. She glanced over her shoulder to see the Doctor bidding a quick goodbye to Benton and heading for the TARDIS.

"Until next time," she repeated quietly before returning her mind to the task of worrying about Mickey.


	25. Becket Enterprises: Hospital Visits

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Twenty-Five: Hospital Visits

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: Here we are the final chapter of this long-suffering episode! The next one should be a lot faster since it is a rewrite. To see of which episode just read the 'next time' trailer that I remembered to do this time.

The military hospital in London that UNIT used was small, but Rose had a good feeling about the place as she watched the staff move about with determined strides. She and Kate were sitting in a small waiting room that was more like a staff break room than anything else. The room had a small tea service table and a strange poster with the words 'Bad Wolf' scrawled on the lower right hand corner which Rose had been trying to ignore for the last half an hour. A hot pot of tea was between them on the small round table that they were seated around. There weren't words to describe how grateful Rose was for Kate's presence. Despite the doctors' last report that Mickey was reacting well to treatment and hadn't suffered radiation burns to the same intensity as those who caught direct flashes, she still had a nervous knot in her stomach.

"You know in some ways when I first met you Rose you reminded me more of the Doctor from Dad's stories then he did today," Kate said suddenly, breaking the stillness in the room.

"Today was pretty calm for him," Rose said with a shrug. "And he changes Kate just like any other living being." Rose grinned at an amusing thought and added, "After all when your Dad met him he was still only a couple of centuries old. He's a lot older now."

"His fashion sense wasn't as bad as Dad described," Kate said with an amused smile.

Rose chuckled and lowered her tea cup back to the table. "The jeans, jumper, leather coat and combat boots is a tame and practical look for him," Rose agreed. "His next body wears a pinstripe suit with a long brown coat that he says Janice Joplin gave him and chucks." Kate raised an eyebrow at the last part and Rose smiled. "Yeah I know and his eleventh self dresses a bit like the absentminded professor. Suspenders, tweed jacket and bowtie with his crazy fly away hair."

"What about his twelfth?" Kate asked taking a sip from her tea.

"Even I haven't met his twelfth self yet," Rose said. "First, second, third, fifth, ninth, tenth and eleventh, but no twelfth."

Kate shook her head fondly at Rose and studied the girl for a long moment. She seemed to come to some decision, nodding to herself, but simply asked. "Dad always talked about the Doctor's second form with fondness. He liked to tell the Yeti story."

"I met him in Athens," Rose supplied. "After… well before and after that thing in Egypt."

"You mentioned that he dropped you off back in time," Kate said, "But didn't say much else. Does he do things like that often?"

"I'd had a bad day," Rose said softly. "He usually doesn't run the risk of there being two Rose Tylers on Earth, but I knew where I'd be and knew the consequences of not avoiding myself." Rose laughed and shook her head at the statement. "The things I say."

"Part of knowing the Doctor," Kate said with a laugh. "Dad talks like that sometimes."

"You didn't introduce yourself to the Doctor," Rose observed. "Why not?"

"Didn't seem like the time," Kate said. "He was here because you were upset."

"He wasn't-"

"Yes he was," Kate said seriously. "Rose he didn't come because the world was at stake, he came because someone he cares about called him hurting." Kate looked right at Rose. "There are a lot of rumors Rose and I'm going to leave it alone because it isn't really my business, but if you don't feel that way towards him then you should be careful because it looks like he feels that way towards you."

Rose blinked in surprise and then smiled softly at Kate. "Are you telling me to be careful for his sake?"

"And if I am?"

"Nothing," Rose said with a smile. "It's just a nice surprise to have someone else worrying more about him."

"You can take care of yourself," Kate said with a shrug. "And I don't doubt that you can hold your own should a relationship ever begin between you." Kate gave Rose a firm look that made her swallow nervously. "Whenever in his or your timelines one begins in."

"Message received," Rose said with a nod.

"Good," Kate said before raising her teacup and taking another sip.

Rose was saved from further conversation with Kate by one of the doctors walking into the room. He was a short older man with glasses perched on his noise, according to the name tag he was Doctor Higgins. "Miss Tyler," Doctor Higgins said pleasantly. "Mr. Beckett has asked to see you."

"Thank you," Rose said quickly as she stood from her chair. She looked over at Kate, but her friend gestured for her to go ahead. Rose nodded and followed Doctor Higgins down a hallway to small patient room.

Richard Becket with laying on his good side facing the doorway with a bored and irritated look on his face which brightened when he spotted Rose. Stepping into the room, Rose examined the medical equipment around Richard. Nothing seemed too extreme and he was breathing on his own with only a simple IV in one arm. Doctor Higgins nodded to Richard before walking down the hall. Richard propped himself up a bit on his good arm. He was wearing drawstring pants, but no shirt with his injured shoulder covered in bandages that partially wrapped around his torso to keep them secure. Despite how bad he looked, he was smiling at Rose and looked happy to see her which eased the guilt that had flooded through her body.

"Rose," Richard greeted. "I've been asking about what happened at the lab? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Rose said with a smile as she pulled a chair from the wall over to Richard's bed. "I've been here for almost an hour."

"I've been being debriefed," Richard said as his eyes shifted to the open doorway. "Sounds like everyone is okay though, that's a relief."

"Mickey is still being seen to," Rose said softly. "But it sounds like his burns aren't as intense in one place so they have to treat more of his body."

"Yeah, at least I just got the shoulder," Richard said.

"I didn't say thank you for what you did," Rose observed with a sad smile as she looked at the bandaged skin. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Richard said with smile of his own. "Didn't think about it to be honest, just an instinct."

"It usually is," Rose said as she sat down in the chair next to his bed. "But even if you didn't think about it thank you."

"So I hear everything is okay now," Richard said gently. "Those soldiers Smith and Marks are going to be okay I hear."

"Yeah," Rose said. "Mickey, uh private Smith can't have visitors yet, but the doctors say he'll be okay after some radiation and burn treatments. Magambo's legs were pretty bad, but she'll fully recover too."

"That's amazing," Richard observed as he let out a breath. "Just amazing."

"Some days you get lucky," Rose said with a soft smile. "This was one of those days. Sadly it's doubtful that we'll ever know for certain if Thane did this or if it was someone else."

"This Thane that everyone thinks set the bomb," Richard said slowly as if unsure, "I've heard about some of the things he's done… if you had the chance would you kill him?"

Rose looked down at Richard in surprise, but nodded slowly a moment later. Richard's expression became quizzical. "What?" Rose asked softly.

"It's just…" Richard shook his head, "I look at you and I see a beautiful smart girl not a killer," he gave her a soft smile. "The look in your eye says that you'd take on this burn in my place if you could. I just can't see you killing anyone."

"I have already," Rose said softly as she met Richard's eyes. "But you're right I'm not a killer." Rose shook her head, "I've always seen killing as something primal, violent and selfish," she said in a soft voice. "I'm a defender not a killer."

"What's the difference?" Richard asked as he reached over and took her hand gently.

"When I end lives it is protect someone or the sometimes the whole world." Rose paused and shrugged dejectedly. "In a perfect world I'd never end the life of a sentient being, but…" Rose shook her head and finished quickly. "But I can't put my own moral wishes above the safety of others in a dangerous situation."

"So you take on the burden," Richard said gently with a squeeze of her hand. "You really are too good to be true aren't you."

"You said you'd stop flirting," Rose observed lightly, trying to break the tension that had developed.

"I blame the drugs they've given me," Richard said with a chuckle. "No verbal control right now.

"Then I'll ignore it this once," Rose said with a sigh. "But honestly, I don't think that Thane did this."

"You sound pretty sure of that," Richard said with a frown.

"This isn't like him," Rose said. "He has a mode of operation and this doesn't fit it." Rose sighed, "Plus if he had escaped then I'd expect the Judoon to be here looking for him."

"I did hear a bit about them," Richard said. "Didn't sound very good."

"I'd imagine so," Rose said with a nod. "That was one of the bad sort of days."

"If it wasn't Thane then who?" Richard asked.

"I don't know," Rose said with a sigh. "How much do you know about our first contact with the Tervtians?"

"I heard about the attempt to kidnap them," Richard informed her with a nod. "If that's what you mean."

"It is," Rose said, "the thing is that we still don't know who arranged that attempt. We suspect Torchwood, but there's no evidence."

"You think this was done by Torchwood?" Richard asked with a frown.

Rose shook her head quickly. "No that's not it, I just mean that we've got other mysteries with just circumstantial evidence. I worry about jumping to conclusions."

They were silent for a few minutes with Rose gently holding Richard's hand for comfort. The door on the far side opened and one of the medical staff walked towards them. Rose quickly stood up and released Richard's hand.

"How is Mickey?" she asked, "I mean how is Private Smith."

The doctor, a middle aged Indian woman this time smiled gently at Rose. "He's going to be alright," she said. "He needs rest, but he has asked to see you." The doctor paused before she added, "While his face wasn't burned I warn you that he still doesn't look very good."

"May I see him?" Rose asked trying to keep the edge of desperation out of her voice.

"Like I said he's asking for you," the doctor said with smile. "Just be careful where you touch him, his hands are alright, but keep an eye out for any pain cues. It's a miracle that he survived." The doctor's face saddened for a moment. "He was very lucky."

"Yeah," Rose agreed softly. She knew that if Mickey hadn't been protected by the metal shelving he'd be dead. It was an overwhelming thought that Rose forced away as she walked to the far door to see her friend.

Mickey was on his back and Rose took a shaky breath as she examined him from the doorway. None of his burns seemed to be to the same extent of the others as the bandages were lighter on him, even if they covered far more of his body. However Mickey's bed was surrounded by many more machines with multiple IVs going into his arms and a nasal breathing system.

"Hey Rose," Mickey said in a weak voice, but with a happy tone. "Come on in."

Rose entered the room slowly, but at the warm smile Mickey gave her gained some strength. She pulled a chair over next to the bed and sat down. Reaching for Mickey's hand, Rose softly said, "Hi Mickey. How-" Rose cut off the question feeling a bit silly.

"I'm feeling really tired," Mickey said. "A bit thirsty, but they don't want me drinking anything yet." He raised his free hand up enough to gesture to the various IVs. "Docs say it's in my head and that my body is getting enough liquid."

"I'm sorry Mickey," Rose blurted out suddenly.

He turned his head enough to look at Rose with a surprised and confused expression. "Sorry for what babe?"

"You're involved with aliens because of me," Rose said softly. "I'm sorry it got you hurt."

Mickey chuckled and squeezed her hand tightly for a moment. "Is that's what got you sulking like this?" he asked. When she didn't reply Mickey's voice turned more gentle. "It's not that bad Rose," he told her. "I'm gonna be fine and I'm certainly not upset at how things have turned out." Rose gave him a look and Mickey sighed. "Okay so we'd be dating, maybe married in my perfect world, but I've got a good job that makes a difference. I've got great mates and I'm attending uni." Mickey gave her a small smile. "Not bad, certainly not what I expected." He squeezed her hand again. "So stop it babe, I'm a big boy and I made my choices not you." Mickey shifted slightly in his bed, badly hiding a flinch of pain. "Now what we really need to worry about is what you tell my gran for me."

"You're making me tell Rita-Anne?" Rose asked with wide eyes and Mickey chuckled.

"Got to tell her something and you're so clever."

"But surely UNIT-"

"I'm calling in a friend favor," Mickey said with a smirk. "Just to reassure her that I'm alright."

Rose sighed and shook her head in surrender. "Alright Mickey, what do you have in mind?"

Next Time: World War Three

"I suppose that I should be glad that the aliens crashed into London before I left on my spring holiday," Rose observed as she crossed her arms and frowned. "But honestly hitting Big Ben seems more like a crash from a bad science fiction show. They had enough control to hit the water and yet couldn't aim for a field outside of a major population zone."

Brigadier Benton sighed and rubbed his forehead as he looked at her through the webcam system. "Well Tyler with me in Geneva and Malcolm in the North Sea I'm afraid you're going to have to make UNIT UK proud as the conference."

"Conference?" Rose asked. "What conference?"

Benton now smirked. "Representatives from the UNIT divisions and other agencies from around the world are gathering to discuss this crash, it was very public after all and I'm sending you for UNIT UK. Play nice with the other children."


	26. World War III: Aliens in London

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Twenty-Six: Aliens in London

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: Alright time to get caught up! That's probably wishful thinking, but let's be optimistic about getting things back on schedule. As always thank you for the great reviews and all your support.

Lent term at Cambridge was done with Easter term a month away giving Rose Tyler some much needed time off from her studies, probably not from aliens, but at least from her studies. The window in her brightly decorated room on Bannerman Road in London was thrown open to let some of the afternoon fresh air in. The March breeze wasn't warm by any stretch of the imagination, but the crisp freshness was a welcome change from the stale warm air that filled most of the house.

Rose looked down at the small suitcase on her bed with consideration. She and the girls were scheduled were scheduled to meet Astra in Barcelona in three days to start a month long exploration of Spain. They'd all agreed to take as little as possible to make train hopping and hosteling as easy as possible, but Rose couldn't shake the feeling she was missing something critical in the already full bag.

"Jeans, shirts, socks, knickers, bras, hoodie, shorts, dancing dress just in case…." Rose mumbled to herself as she inspected the contents. "Swin suit, toiletries, hair stuff, camera and laptop are in the other bag." Rose sighed and shook her head, "You'd think a planned trip would be easier than TARDIS travel." She shook her head amused and walked over to her desk where a short checklist was sitting, but everything was already marked off.

The sudden ringing of her mobile distracted Rose from her contemplation of what she was missing and she fished it out of her pocket automatically. A quick glance at the caller id told her that Shireen was calling.

"Hi Shireen," Rose greeted cheerfully.

"Rose turn on the telly," Shireen said in a serious voice. "Right now."

"What's going on?" Rose asked with a confused frown.

"A spaceship crashed into the Thames after hitting Big Ben," Shireen said through the phone with an excited trill in her voice.

"Come on be serious," Rose said. "That's the script of a science fiction movie."

"It's no joke," Shireen said. "Turn on the telly. Any channel you like."

Rose turned and headed for the door of her bedroom and headed for the stairs as she snapped the phone shut. Downstairs she found her mum and Gita both teary eyed in front of the telly with a plate of cookies and a box of tissues on the table in front of them. Raising an eyebrow, Rose examined the screen and then shook her head at the romance that was playing.

"Hi Gita," Rose greeted. "I've got to check something really quick." She snatched the remote and turned off of the DVD, switching to the news.

"Rose!" Jackie protested, "Don't be rude young lady."

Rose ignored her mother in favor of listening to the news reader. "Big Ben destroyed as a UFO crash lands in Central London. Police reinforcements are drafted in from across the country to control wide-spread panic, looting and civil disturbance. A state of national emergency has been declared. Tom Hitchinson is at the scene."

"What?" Gita gasped. "Aliens in London?!"

Rose looked at the banner across the bottom of the screen. "Apparently it crashed only fifteen minutes ago." She told Gita and Jackie before the screen changed to a reporter standing near the Thames. He was too far away for Rose to see much of the ship.

"The police urge the public not to panic. There's a help line number on screen right now if you're worried about friends or family," Tom Hitchinson announced into his microphone. Rose raised an eyebrow, apparently they weren't releasing much information yet.

The ringing of her phone again pulled her away from the television and she briefly noted Jackie and Gita speaking in excited voices. To avoid the noise Rose walked into the kitchen and pulled out the mobile. She smiled softly as the UNIT number flashed on the screen.

"This is Tyler," Rose said as she answered the phone.

"Colonel Mace," the stern colonel greeted shortly. "Brigadier General Benton wants you on the secure video line immediately."

"Uh, okay," Rose said before the call ended. "Nice to talk to you too Mace," Rose muttered as she slipped out of the kitchen and upstairs to her laptop.

Behind her she heard Gita say, "Jackie we should have a party! This is huge! History in the making!"

Rose glanced around her bedroom quickly and closed up her suitcase before she went to the laptop. She waited impatiently while it booted up, wondering why she wasn't just being called to the Tower. Once the laptop was working Rose quickly logged into the secure system that UNIT used for video conferences. It only took a moment to connect to Benton's office. She frowned in confusion as the call was then transferred to a different machine using Benton's id.

A moment later the call connected and Brigadier General Benton appeared onscreen in an unfamiliar office. He looked tense with some extra lines around his eyes that Rose could guess the source of.

"Good afternoon Benton," she greeted politely.

"Hello Tyler," Benton greeted with a nod, easing slightly. "I take if you know about the ship crashing in London just a quarter of an hour ago."

"Yes sir," Rose agreed with a nod. "I just became aware of it."

"I need you to come in. We're facing a very public crash in the middle of a major city."

"I suppose that I should be glad that the aliens crashed into London before I left on my spring holiday," Rose observed as she crossed her arms and frowned. "But honestly hitting Big Ben seems more like a crash from a bad science fiction show. They had enough control to hit the water and yet couldn't aim for a field outside of a major population zone."

Brigadier Benton sighed and rubbed his forehead as he looked at her through the webcam system. "Well Tyler with me in Geneva and Doctor Taylor in the North Sea I'm afraid you're going to have to make UNIT UK proud as the conference."

"Conference?" Rose asked. "What conference?"

Benton now smirked. "Representatives from the UNIT divisions and other agencies from around the world are gathering to discuss this crash, it was very public after all and I'm sending you for UNIT UK. Play nice with the other children."

Rose gave Benton an unamused look and sighed. "What about Kate?"

"She went with Doctor Taylor to investigate some kind of signal that we picked up there." Benton paused and frowned slightly, "And Toshiko does not currently have the status to serve as the representative."

"Who else will be going?" Rose questioned as she straightened her soldiers.

"Colonel Mace is overseeing troops in my absence so the third-in-command of UNIT UK will be joining her. Lt. Colonel Elizabeth Frost, but I don't' think you've ever met."

"I know the name, but no we have never met." Rose agreed with a nod.

"Doctor Taylor also suggested sending Doctor Kapoor for the science division. You remember him I trust."

"Yes sir," Rose said with a nod. She didn't work much with Nasser, but they'd made a good team when she and Tosh had worked with them on the UNIT teleport system. "What about Torchwood?"

Benton sighed and rubbed his forehead as if holding back a headache. Rose felt a twitch of guilt for bringing them up. "Hartman isn't speaking with anyone right now and the Queen gave UNIT control of this crash. Torchwood has been invited to the conference, but we don't know yet who Hartman will send."

"You don't think she'll come herself?" Rose asked.

"I believe she'd consider it beneath her," Benton grumbled before straightening up again. "Most of those present will be UNIT personnel or from similar agencies." Benton gave her a small smile. "You shouldn't have any trouble. A car will pick you up in half an hour and take you to Albian Hospital."

"A hospital? Have any survivors been found?" Rose asked.

"Not survivors," Benton said shaking his head. "But a body has been found. They aren't going to move it until everything is in place, but we'd like you at the hospital to take a look at it."

"I'm not a medical doctor," Rose told him.

"No, but the conference doesn't start until later when the other representatives arrive and you us to be doing something."

"Understood," Rose said. "One more question."

"Yes?" Benton asked sounding torn between amusement and annoyance.

"Why did Malcolm and Kate go to the North Sea?"

"Three days ago a satellite picked up some strange radiation out there. They ahead of schedule this morning, but are too far out to make it back tonight."

"Interesting," Rose said softly before she nodded. "I'll be ready for the car when it arrives, but please have it pick me up around the corner and not my house."

"I'll arrange for that and remember I said to play nice," Benton added before ending the call.

Rose frowned at the screen for a moment and then glanced out the window at the clear blue sky. Her eyes dropped to the houses across the street. "Spock," she muttered to herself.

Pulling on her leather jacket, Rose checked that she had her wallet, sonic pen and mobile. She stopped for a moment and considered her closet before she grabbed an oversized jacket with a hood and pair of large sunglasses before heading downstairs. Gita and Jackie were both on their phones and ignoring the television screen.

"I know it is so exciting isn't it?" Gita said cheerfully. "We're going to have a little party, come on over to Jackie's."

Jackie hung up and looked over to see Rose heading for the door. "Where are you off to?" Jackie asked.

"I'm going to head into town to meet up with Shireen and Sharon."

"Darling half of the streets are blocked," Gita protested.

"That's why I'm taking my bike," Rose said with a grin.

Jackie huffed in protest and shook her head. "Just try to be back for the party," she told Rose.

"We'll see how bad the traffic is," Rose said. "I'll be fine."

Rose rushed out of the house before Jackie could protest and went to her motorcycle. She sighed as she started it up, she hadn't had much time for riding it lately with winter and school and today would be no different. Rose drove away from the house, but headed to the right and not to the left going further down Bannerman Road. Sarah Jane's house loomed over its small garden and Rose parked the bike far up in the drive so it would be out of sight. She didn't bother to retrieve the spare key that Sarah Jane had given her and just used the sonic pen to unlock the front door.

Silence greeted Rose in the Chesterton-Smith house, but she could see signs that Rani and Clyde had been by to water the plants. Sarah Jane and Johnny had decided to take a holiday with Luke and already been gone two days. Deciding to keep her jacket on, Rose darted up the staircase towards the attic.

"Mistress Rose," K-9 greeted when she opened the door. "It is pleasant to see you."

"Good to see you too K-9," Rose said with a smile as she walked over to the robot dog and patted him on the head. She then turned towards the wall that hid Spock. "I need you Spock."

The wall broke apart slowly with mechanical hisses as the controls of the Xylok unfolded into view. Rose watched the transformation with a strange little smile on her face.

"Hello Rose,' Spock greeted. "I expect that you are here about the recent crash."

"Yeah," Rose said taking a step closer to Spock. "Your sensors track objects entering the solar system so how did you miss this?"

"I am running a diagnostic on my sensors as we speak," Spock informed her.

"Do you recognize the ship?" Rose asked.

"It matches nothing in my records exactly," Spock answered quickly. "From the technology I have identified it is combination of different parts with nothing specific enough to offer a planet origin."

"Were there any distress calls or odd bursts of energy?" Rose questioned.

"Only a small burst of energy in the North Sea three days ago which I informed Sarah Jane of as well as the fact that UNIT has sent a team to investigate."

"Alright," Rose said with a sigh. "I've gotta go, but finish running diagnostics with K-9."

"I do not require the dog's help," Spock replied sounding displeased.

"Monitoring solar system entries is your task Spock-" K-9 started to say, but Rose cut him off.

"Enough!" Rose snapped as she looked between the two. "You two can go back to your snark contests once I'm comfortable that Earth is okay. Finish the diagnostics to verify that you either did or didn't miss it." Rose took a breath and calmed herself. "If it didn't come from outside the solar system then we have a completely new issue. I need to know if I'm deal with an accident or something else immediately so no more fighting. May I clear?"

"Yes Rose," Spock replied in an even tone. "We will complete the diagnostics of my system and run an energy trace check in the inner solar system to answer your question of origin."

"Understood Mistress Rose," K-9 said in his dutiful tone. "We will contact you as soon as data is available."

"Better," Rose said as she released a breath. "Much better."

Rose pulled off her leather jacket and tossed it on the sofa that sat in the center of the attic. Then she pulled on the heavier coat with the hood. She tied her hair up in a messy bun to keep it hidden under the hood and readied the sunglasses.

"New fashion Rose?" Spock asked tentatively.

"Whole world is watching," Rose said with a shrug. "It may not be a brilliant disguise, but hopefully it will protect me from public exposure as an alien expert." She waved to the Xylok and robot and headed down the stairs and out onto the street after locking the house up The car was waiting for and one of her escorts was just stepping out.

"Miss Tyler," a private she didn't know greeted with a nod.

"Hi," Rose said as she opened the back passenger door herself. "Nice to meet you," she added more politely before sliding into the back seat.

Once they started moving Rose pulled out her phone and called Shireen. "Hey Shireen," Rose said not waiting for the other girl to greet her. "UNIT called me in as soon as I got off the phone with you."

"Any ideas on what's up?" Shireen asked.

"A couple of stray thoughts," Rose said, "But nothing concert yet. Look I need you to cover for me. Mum thinks I came into London to see you and Sharon so if she calls-"

"You're here, but not available," Shireen finished for Rose. "Got it, just be careful."

"I will be," Rose said affectionately. "I promise."

The further they drove into central London the clearer the chaos became. Police were everywhere with crowds packed in the streets, some trying to get away from the area and others trying to get closer. Rose could see some police cars with the names of nearby towns and cities nearby and wondered just how many police they'd be bringing in. Any moment now Cambridge police might start arriving. Another two turns put them near the Thames were media vehicles were crammed together behind police lines. The driver maneuvered them around a barricade and Rose was grateful for the tinted windows in the car as the press took photos. She shrunk into her hood and slipped the sunglasses on, grateful to feel the awkward weight that covered up almost a third of her face. Another turn and they were in front of an old hospital building with guards opening a heavy metal gate for them. The car pulled up in front of the building and Rose slide across to the door directly in front of the hospital entrance. She waited for a UNIT soldier to open the hospital door before she jumped up and climbed the stairs. Despite the questions being shouted by the press outside she didn't turn around and entered the hospital.

The place was dark, but clean reflecting its disuse. Rose calmly followed a UNIT soldier down a long corridor to a morgue. She's never been in a morgue before personally, but she had no doubt that the room was one. Metal doors or drawers lined one wall and a metal operating table was set up in the middle complete with a water sprayer. There was currently nothing on the table and a pair of men in lab coats stood quietly talking. Rose recognized one of them as Doctor Higgins from the UNIT medical department, but the other man was younger, probably mid forties, and taller with short brown hair and slight Scottish accent. The soldier escorting her stopped and cleared his throat to draw their attention.

"Oh goodness," Doctor Higgins said. "You startled me." His eyes landed on Rose and he smiled gently. "Ah Miss Tyler, good to see you. I trust Private Smith is still doing well since he was transferred from my care."

"He is Doctor Higgins," Rose said as she walked into the room. "He's still on medical leave, but moving and eating with no problems."

"I'm glad to hear it." Higgins then remembered the other doctor. "Miss Tyler this is Doctor McDonald from Torchwood. Hartman selected him personally."

Doctor McDonald and Rose studied each other for a moment before McDonald extended his hand. Rose nodded and accepted it giving his hand a quick shake. She noticed that he wore a polo shirt under his lab coat with a stylized T on the right.

"When is the body expected?" Rose asked as she stepped back from McDonald.

"Our last message said half an hour," Higgins said before looking at his watch. "Probably any minute now."

"Are you qualified to assist in the autopsy?" McDonald questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"No," Rose answered calmly. "I'm here to take note of anything I recognize."

McDonald nodded thoughtfully as he studied Rose which she tried not to react to. Suddenly her phone rang and she fished it out to check the caller. It was Spock.

"Please excuse me," Rose said quickly before she walked past the guard and into a quite side room. "What have you got?" she asked Spock.

"Diagnostics have shown no problem with my sensors," Spock said. "I ran internal diagnostics and K-9 ran his own dianostics."

"So it came from Earth," Rose said with a sigh. "Was it a crash from someone trying to leave in a damaged ship?"

"In my records I found a similar energy reading in the solar system that was too weak to track over three months ago. Doing a similar scan K-9 and I have found that the crash was controlled after the ship was slingshotted around the Earth."

"So the crash was for show," Rose deduced. "And the aliens have been here threemonths. Good work boys," Rose said. "Spock ran checks on government defense systems and make sure that nothing has been tampered with. K-9 I want you to work on whatever that energy coming from the North Sea is. Report to me when you have something."

"Affirmative," K-9 said.

"Be careful Rose," Spock said before hanging up the phone.

Rose peeked out of the side room she'd hidden in to see more troops moving around. Stepping out into the hall Rose backtracked to the morgue and gasped softly as she stepped inside the room. There lying on the autopsy table was what looked like a pig in a space suit. The only thought Rose managed at that moment was to question how aliens with hoofs could construct a spaceship.


	27. World War III: Downing Street

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Downing Street

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: Weekends have been insane lately! Hopefully this week will go more smoothly. Thank you all so much for the 500 reviews! You are fantastic!

Downing Street was surrounded by news vans and cameras when Rose's car pulled up in front of number 10. Rose quickly put on the sunglasses and pulled her hood up, making sure that all of her hair was tucked away. When the car door opened a moment later, Rose kept her back to the press and quickly ascended the stairs to the front door. Behind her she could hear shouted questions, many of them about her identity, but she ignored them and slipped into the famous building.

When the nearest guard looked at Rose he was clearly trying not to chuckle. Rose shrugged with a small smile and pulled off the large sunglasses. She moved away from the door and slipped them back into her bag and lowered her hood. Ahead of her was a small gathering of people dressed in a mixture of suits and uniforms, mostly UNIT. Rose walked forward slowly and scanned the faces to determine who present she knew.

"Rose Tyler," an accented voice said ahead of her.

Rose quickly found the source of the voice and she smiled. Professor Amina Chalthoum was weaving through the small crowd to reach her.

"Amina," Rose greeted with a smile as the older Egyptian woman reached her. They hugged quickly and Rose gave Amina a soft smile. "How are you?"

"Busy," Amina said. "Egypt's UNIT branch is still recovering from… the Colonel's death and this happens."

"Don't take this the wrong way," Rose said, "But I'm a bit surprised they called you here."

"Not too many UNIT personnel have actually dealt with aliens," Amina reminded Rose. "I was actually part of events in Egypt which puts me on the priority list. They called me first thing and I only just got here." Amina glanced around. "There aren't many from the UK branch here though."

"No," Rose agreed with a shake of her head. "Doctor Malcolm Taylor, our branches science advisor and his number two Kate Stewart are out in the North Sea."

"The North Sea?"

"A signal was detected from out there a few days ago, they haven't reached it yet to investigate though."

"Now they probably won't," Amina observed. "Not with all of this going on."

"It's still being addressed," Rose said softly as she looked at the people moving through the building. "Might be connected."

Amina gave Rose a curious and amused expression, but didn't ask. Instead the woman nodded thoughtfully and gestured towards the small cluster to people in a variety of uniforms. "We're waiting on representatives from the United States UNIT branch and Section 13."

"Section 13?" Rose asked with a touch of confusion.

"The Americans national alien organization," Amina explained with a shrug. "Quite a few countries have their own organizations in addition to UNIT. From what I've heard Section 13 has a good relationship with UNIT USA."

"That's better than Torchwood anyway," Rose muttered. "That lot should be here soon."

"Well that's Captain Schmit from Germany," Amina said as she pointed to a tall man with dark hair in his thirties. "That's the French representative, but I didn't catch her name. I know that India is sending someone who should be here in within the hour and some others."

"When are we formerly starting?" Rose asked.

"In an hour, everyone is expected before then," Amina answered. "So what do you think? Rumor is that you've seen the body."

"Yeah," Rose responded as she looked around. Several staff members of Downing Street were still rushing about, some with frantic looks on their faces.

"And?" Amina pressed.

"It looked like a pig," Rose said. "And I don't mean just the head like the Judoon, it had hooves and everything with a flight suit."

"A pig," Amina repeated. "Well… that's interesting."

"Doctor Higgins from UNIT and Doctor McDonald from Torchwood both agree that it couldn't be done on Earth since the brain was different from a normal Earth pig."

"What do you think?" Amina asked in a softer voice. "And what do you know?"

"The ship came from Earth," Rose said softly. "One of my sources was able to track it's flight and it did a slightshot around the planet from crashing."

"So the aliens are on Earth," Amina hissed.

"Hard to say for sure," Rose admitted. "Personally I'm still debating between diversion and prank."

"Prank?" Amina repeated with a quirked eyebrow.

"Sure, it's on the news all across the globe. People panicking in the streets and government arguing about what to do. To the right species this is probably very funny."

"After what happened in Egypt I'd prefer a prank," Amina said. "But nothing happens and the world is left hanging things could get very ugly very fast.

"Agreed," Rose said as she caught sight of a young man of Indian descent walking towards her.

"Good evening," the young man greeted her. "Here is your identification card," he said as he handed Rose a small badge with her name and security level on it.

"Thank you," Rose leaned forward to catch his name. "Mister Ganesh. Can you spare a moment to catch me up on the situation as it stands for Britain." Mr. Ganesh looked conflicted as Rose put the identification card on her hoodie. "I'm pretty sure we qualify as needing to know."

"Joseph Green is acting Prime Minister," Ganesh said. "The Prime Minster is missing and the cabinet is stranded outside of London due to the gridlock."

"Can't they be flown in via helicopter?" Rose questioned.

"They're going to be airlifted in soon," Ganesh replied with some obvious relief.

"I've never heard of Joseph Green," Rose said thoughtfully as she glanced towards the staircase.

"He's uh, well he's the chairman for the committee on monitoring of sugar standards," Ganesh said with a slight worried glance towards the stairs.

"Oh," Rose said with a swallow. "Then the others better get here soon so we can get to work on this."

Ganesh looked ready to say something more, but caught sight of a middle-aged woman with brown hair in a pale pink jacket and dark skirt. She was carrying a folder in her hands and Ganesh sighed. "Please excuse me Miss Tyler," Ganesh said before striding over to the woman.

Rose turned and watched the woman argue quietly with the junior secretary for a few moments before he vanished up the flight of stairs. "She one of us?" Rose asked Amina.

"Not that I know of," Amina said.

A woman with blonde hair who was a few inches taller than Rose walked over to them. Rose glanced at the UNIT uniform the woman was wearing and noted the name: Lt. Colonel Frost.

"Good evening Miss Tyler," the Lt. Colonel greeted as she held out her hand.

Rose took the offered hand and shook it. "Hello Lt. Colonel Frost," she greeted politely. "I don't believe we have ever met."

"We met briefly several years ago," Frost answered with a hint of amusement. "But you were only fourteen at the time and I was lower in rank."

"Ah," Rose said, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Fourteen, that would have been the Mona Lisa then."

"Correct," Frost said with a nod before stepping a little closer. "I am to ask if you have consulted Spock as to what has occurred," she asked in a low voice while making a slight gesture over to the Colonel waiting with a group of men in suits.

"I have," Rose answered. "The ship did not originate from space, but was launched from Earth before it crashed. The trajectory suggests a very controlled flight and crash."

"And the body?"

"I don't believe it to be a true extraterrestrial, but rather a creation to serve as a joke or a decoy."

"I see," Frost said with a nod. "Be advised that Torchwood's representatives should be arriving any moment now."

"Joy," Rose grumbled which only made Frost's lips twitch up to a smile.

"It does make me miss the days when we didn't officially know they existed and didn't have to invite them to these things," Frost admitted. "If possible Miss Tyler I would value a chance to speak with you later about your experiences."

"Lt. Colonel Frost you have clearance to read my file," Rose commented. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the woman in the pink jacket passing them.

"True, but that isn't like having a chance to speak with one of the great modern alien experts."

"I wouldn't go that far,' Rose said with a blush. "I've just got a strange life."

The Lt. Colonel looked ready to say something more when the Colonel gestured to her. Rose nodded to Frost who returned the sign of respect before returning to her UNIT group.

"You're cute when you blush," Amina teased lightly. "It is understandable I suppose. You bring the average age down a lot."

"You're not that much older than me," Rose remarked.

"Rose I'm a professor who is in the employment of UNIT which was not offered to me right out of university. On the other hand you're only in your second year of uni."

More people arrived and Rose eventually gave into Amina's desire to mingle and meet the other attendees. Some of the names were familiar to Rose and almost everyone from a UNIT post seemed to know who she was which was a bit intimidating. The civilian scientists seemed confused by her, but most accepted her presence without fuss. Junior secretary Ganesh made brief appearances and the woman in pink who refused to leave the building went upstairs with cup of coffee. Finally the two representatives from India were ushered in, nearly filling the waiting room and the US UNIT team of four was only a few minutes behind them.

Two larger men, one with dark hair in a suit and the other in a UK General's uniform entered the room with Ganesh on their heels.

"Ladies and gentlemen, can we convene? Quick as we can, please. It's this way on the right, and can I remind you ID cards are to be worn at all times," Ganesh said as he held up an id card.

Rose hung back to allow General Asquith and the apparent acting Prime Minister Joseph Green into the room first. The others became filing towards the room and Rose took a step to follow when a hand on her arm made her turn. The woman in the pink jacket who had been wandering around Downing Street for the last hour was at her elbow with an odd look on her face.

"Excuse me," the woman said. "Can I please have a word?"

Ganesh turned to the woman with impatience on his face. "You haven't got clearance. Now leave it."

"I just need a word in private," the woman argued with Ganesh as Rose studied her. Earlier the woman had been standing a little taller and straighter and now there was something in her eyes, some kind of… shadow.

"It's alright," Rose interrupted. "I'll just be a moment."

"Miss Tyler," Ganesh argued, "The others have convened. You're part of the crisis team!"

"England has managed just fine without me for a thousand years, it can handle a few minutes," Rose said with a smile, but also with a sharp look in her eyes. Ganesh sighed, but raised his hands in surrender even while giving the woman in pink a disapproving look.

The woman in pink ignored the look and grasped Rose's arm for a moment pulling her towards a side door. She released Rose's arm and raised her identity card.

"Harriet Jones, MP Flydale North."

"Rose Tyler, UNIT," Rose replied as she watched the woman's body language become more and more tense. They climbed the stairs and moved beyond the hearing range of the guards on the first floor.

"I heard the others in there says you were one of the best alien experts," Harriet Jones said suddenly. "I- I need to show you something. It's important and I-"

"It's alright," Rose said gently. "Let's start with you showing me whatever it is and then you can tell me what you saw."

The woman gave a shaking nod and then started crying softly. Rose rubbed her arms gently for a moment before saying. "I know, it's scary the first time you see something like an alien. I remember what it's like Harriet, but you can't panic. You can't stop and cry cause you've gotta work on how to deal with the threat first. After its over you cry with a big plate of biscuits and tea, but right now I need to know what you saw."

Harriet Jones' body kept shaking, but her tears lessened and she gave Rose a quick nod. "In the cabinet room," Harriet told her. "That's where it happened."

Rose nodded and they quickly walked through the small office space to the large wooden doors. Pushing them open, Rose stepped inside and glanced around. Nothing looked out of place on her immediate inspection. Harriet moved past her and headed for the small cupboard to the right of the door.

"In here," Harriet said before she vanished into the cupboard.

Rose glanced out the door and partially closed it while Harriet retrieved whatever she had found. When Rose turned back she found Harriet Jones holding what looked like a bundle of clothing and flesh colored rubber. She draped it quickly over a chair and looked about ready to start crying once again.

"They turned the body into a suit. A disguise for the thing inside!"

Rose's eyes widened and she moved quickly to examine the body suit which was horribly real to the touch. Dropping it back around the chair Rose took a step back from it and turned to Harriet.

"Alright Harriet, what else did you see?"

"Well it was the general who was in this…. Suit and now he's the general. That Joseph Green and some short blonde woman were here and working with it."

"So the aliens are in Downing Street," Rose said softly. "Did they say anything?"

"They didn't say much other than talking about the…" Harriet gestured towards the body suit. "But they didn't seem worried."

"So why are they here?" Rose questioned as she fingered her pendent thoughtfully. "In the same building where they know most of the best experts in fighting aliens are? Why risk discovery like this?"

Rose's eyes widened and she turned to Harriet. "Any mention of an escape or a bomb? Anything like that?"

"No," Harried said shaking her head. "They can't risk a bomb, they're in the same room and the only thing that's different about them is that they don't have id cards."

Rose hands instantly went to her own id card as Harriet's eyes widened. The older woman suddenly lunged forward and started pulling the card from around Rose's neck. It also twisted and got caught in her hair as Rose tried to pull away and rush for the door. She shifted and felt the card slide over her hand, leaving the card in Harriet's hands while Rose rushed for the stairs. Behind her she could vaguely hear Harriet calling after her and Ganesh yelling something.

"It's a trap!" Rose shouted as she ran past two guards towards the conference room. "Amina! Frost! It's a trap! Take off the ids!"

She reached the doorway just in time to see Frost near the front of the room rip off her id card before blue electricity emited from each of the id cards. Rose's eyes found Amina in her chair near the doorway with her mouth open in a silent scream. She lunged towards her, but was grabbed by Frost who pulled her towards the doorway.

"No Tyler!" Frost ordered sharply. "Too late!"

Rose looked towards the front of the room and saw a large green alien with thick and long limbs. A strange metal collar on its neck caught her attention. Her arm dropped to call froth her sword, but Frost tugged her sharply through the doorway.

"We can't-" Rose tried to argue.

"Guards!" Frost shouted. "Guards!" She tugged Rose and she finally understood Frost's plan. They rounded the corner to meet four heavily armed policemen. "Aliens in the conference room!" Frost shouted, "Hurry!"

Rose and Frost followed them into the room just as Harriet and Ganesh were coming down the stairs. "Rose!" Harriet shouted, "What's happening?"

"Not now Harriet," Rose hissed as the guards burst into the conference room.

However, the alien had already slipped back into the form of the general.

"Where have you been? I called for help. I sounded the alarm," the alien in Joseph Green demanded, "There was this lightening, this kind of, er, electricity, and they all collapsed.

The fanned out in the room and one gently checked the pulse of the Colonel at the front of the room.

"I think they're all dead," Sergeant Price said weakly.

"That's what I'm saying. They did it! Those women there!" Green shouted pointing at Frost and Rose.

"They're aliens!" Frost shouted. "Aliens in the skins of humans!"

Rose took one look at the faces of the policemen before she grabbed Frost's hand. "Run!"

Ganesh gaped at them as they rushed past only to hear the Prime Minster shout, "That one there helped them! Take them all!"

"Hurry!" Harriet snapped as she rushed after Rose and Frost. Ganesh was stunned and stumbled slightly as he followed them down a corridor.

"What is happening?!" Ganesh shouted. "Someone tell me what is going on!?"

Rose slid to a halt as policemen blocked the corridor and the corridor on the other side of swarmed with police and the aliens. Frost pushed Rose behind her and glared at the approaching aliens. Rose stepped back against the wall only to touch the cool metal of the lift door. She pushed the button hard as the aliens stepped forward through the crowd of policemen who were all pointing guns at the four of them.

"Under the jurisdiction of the Emergency Protocols, I authorise you to execute these four aliens immediately!" the alien in the general said harshly to the sergeant.

"I'm not an alien," Ganesh said with aside eyes. "What has happened?"

"Lies," the alien in Green snorted. "Kill these invaders immediately.

The lift dinged and the doors opened. Rose jumped in first and pulled out her sonic pen. Harriet stumbled in and turned to grab the back of Frost's uniforms and Ganesh's coat. Rose heard the safeties on the weapons release just as the sonic pen whirled. The door slid shut and the lift began to rise towards the second floor.

"I can't believe that worked," Rose breathed as she looked at the others.

"What is going on?" Ganesh asked weakly. "Why did they just order us executed?"

"The Prime Minster and General have been killed and aliens have taken their place," Rose said sharply. "The conference was a trap to kill the people on Earth who could've stopped them and Frost and I need a safe place to work." Rose turned to the man.

"Uh the cabinet room on the second floor can be sealed against attacks," Ganesh said still sounding lost.

"That will work, Harriet bring him up to speed."

Frost turned to Rose and swallowed, "Thank you. I hear your shout and that saved my life."

"I should've figured it out sooner," Rose said sadly.

"We all should have," Frost said. "But we didn't." Frost paused, "I'm sorry about Professor Chalthoum, you two seemed to be friends."

"I think we were," Rose said as the lift opened. "Time to stop them."

"And make them pay," Frost said fiercely. Internally Rose couldn't have agreed more.


	28. World War III: Locked in the Cabinet

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Locked in the Cabinet Room

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: Thanks for all the great reviews and I hope you all enjoy the continuing insanity that is Rose Tyler's life. Well we're about to have the series 7 finale so I guess I'll just have to see what is worth taking and hope it doesn't completely hose up my own plans. If it does and I can't incorporate the new aspects into my story then we'll just continue forward in our little 'alternate reality.'

Frost took point, having pulled her handgun even if Rose wondered about its usefulness. Aliens had control of Downing Street in a story that seemed better suited to 'Invasion of the Body Snatcher' or something similar.

"Did you see what they looked like?" Frost questioned Harried in a low voice as they moved towards the cabinet room.

"A bit yes," Harriet answered. "But when the … transference took place there was a lot of blue light that disoriented me. They are larger than us, a bit green with large limbs and sort of baby faces."

"Tyler?" Frost asked. "Sound familiar?"

"Afraid not," Rose answered.

Suddenly a long green limb with a strange bone like protrusion that ran along the length of it lashed out and knocked Frost back against the wall. On reflex, Rose summoned her sword and moved forward to black frost before the two long claw like fingers could move again. As she stepped forward Rose got a quick look at the large alien creature with its black round eyes, strange collar device and pot belly. Then it moved, lashing out the dangerous looking hand towards Rose who swung her sword up. Her Star Knight sword slashed through the flesh and caught on the bone like protrusion for only a moment before slicing through.

"You beast!" the alien screamed in a shrill almost feminine voice.

"Who are you!?" Rose demanded as she raised her sword to prepare for another attack. "Why are you here?"

"Rose!" Harriet yelled. "Two more of them coming down the corridor!"

"Get to the cabinet room," Rose hissed as she stepped towards the alien to let the other's past. The alien made a threatening hiss at her as Rose raised the sword and watched the creature carefully. It began to raise its remaining hand towards her, but when Rose moved the sword towards the hand the movement stopped.

"Tyler!" Frost's voice barked. "Come on!"

"Kill it!" The alien shouted, "Kill the bag of hormones and adrenaline!"

Rose risked a quick glance down the hall. Two of the aliens were rushing towards her. She heard the alien nearest to her moving and ducked just in time to avoid its remaining clawed hand. Rose spun on her heel, almost slipping in the greenish blood that had dribbled onto the floor and ran. There was a rushing sound past her eyes and she saw some kind of dart hit the wooden panel of the wall right in front of her, but didn't stop to examine it.

The aliens were right behind her when Rose reached the cabinet room. Rose had just crossed the threshold when the sound of metal shifting reached her ears. Turning, she had just enough time to glimpse the aliens before two slabs of metal clashed closed in front of her, sealing the door.

Blinking at the sudden change, Rose reached forward and knocked the metal barrier.

"Installed in 1991," Ganesh said weakly next to her. Rose turned to see that his hand was on a button next to the doorframe. "Three inches of steel," he gestured to the sealed windows. "It's through all the walls."

"That's a relief," Harriet breathed. "They'll never get in."

"And we'll never get out," Frost added as she checked the phone on the table. "No signal."

"When you said the room sealed I wasn't expecting a mini fortress," Rose said to Ganesh with a smile. "Nice job."

Rose's eyes swept the room as she reached into her bag for her mobile. Her identity badge was lying by the cabinet table where it had fallen and she sucked in a breath at the sight of it.

Looking over at Harriet Jones who eyes had also gone to the abandoned badge, Rose said, "Thanks for that." The older woman nodded.

"Can someone please tell me what is happening?!" Ganesh asked, his voice almost hysterical. "And please I need more than just 'aliens' and 'run'."

"I'm afraid I don't fully understand," Harriet told him gently. "I was in here earlier… well," the woman blushed slightly and gestured to a case on the table. "I was reading the emergency protocols."

Frost was at the case in an instant and opened it, pulling out the files to read.

"And I saw the aliens change bodies," Harriet said weakly as she pointed to the skin that was still draped over one of the chairs. Ganesh's whole face changed and he looked ready to be sick, not that Rose blamed him.

"I know it's a lot," Rose said gently to the man. "But we have to focus." Rose took a breath and forced a smile for Ganesh. "Well first things first, I'm Rose Tyler. I'm a consultant for UNIT on aliens." She gestured towards Frost and added, "This is Lt. Colonel Frost… uh I don't actually know your first name."

Frost looked up at the civilians and then back at Rose. "I answer to Frost, but my first name is Elizabeth."

"I'm Harriet Jones," Harriet said holding up her badge, clutching it like a lifeline. "I'm the MP Flydale North."

"I'm Indra Ganesh," the Indian man said with a nervous nod. "I'm a junior secretary with the Ministry of Defense."

"Great," Rose said with a smile. "Nice to properly meet you. Indra can you and Harriet start checking all of these cupboards for anything that might help us. Also keep an eye out for anything you don't recognize and let Frost and I know."

Harriet took charge of the search at once, directing Ganesh to one of the larger cupboards with instructions to move across the wall and meet her on the other side. Frost watched them for a moment before her eyes landed on Rose's phone.

"That's not going to work," Frost said quietly. "Three inches of steel will block the signal."

"Not this phone," Rose said with a smile as she leaned against the table by Frost. "It works anyplace, anytime and anywhere. No restrictions or contracts needed."

Frost's eyes widened as she understood the statement. She eyes went back to the seemingly ordinary phone.

"He gave you that?" she asked in an awed voice. "And it can call through time and space."

"Yep," Rose said popping the p slightly. "So three inches of steel isn't a problem." Rose bit her lip, "The problem is who to call." She nodded towards the skin. "We don't know how deep this goes."

"Surely not Benton…." Frost said before shaking her head. "I wish we knew more."

"Well I can start with my contacts," Rose said as she dialed the number that Spock was attached to. "We've got to start somewhere and maybe they can identify the species."

There was a conference phone speaker on the table and after a brief moment of debate, Rose hooked her phone into it. Frost nodded in approval and Rose hit the button for Spock. The phone rang only once before the calm collected voice of the Xylok came through.

"Hello Rose," Spock greeted.

"Incredible," Harriet Jones said as she looked at the phone and then at Rose. "How can you have a signal?"

"Super phone," Rose replied with a smile at Harriet and Ganesh. "Spock we've officially got hostile aliens on our hands and I need some identification and background."

"Spock?" Indra asked in a shock tone. "Who is this? Someone at UNIT?"

"I am a Xylok," Spock answered sounding a bit impatient. "Please give me as much information as you have on the aliens and I will run a search."

A cry of alarm from Harriet made Rose spin and look over towards the older woman. She was standing next to a tall cupboard, but a body was on the floor next to her. Judging from the position and it earlier absence, Rose guessed that it must have fallen out.

"Oh god!" Indra gasped as he reached Harriet first. "That's the Prime Minister!"

Rose leaned over the table to see the man's face and grimaced at the horrified expression on his face, but there was no doubt that it was the prime minister.

"Why didn't they take his body?" Frost asked thoughtfully from beside Rose.

"But he was driven away!?" Indra gasped, his eyes still locked on the body. "That's impossible. He left this afternoon. The Prime Minister left Downing Street, he was driven away!"

"Who told you that?" Rose asked as she walked around the table.

"Margaret Blaine from MI5," Indra responded automatically.

"What did she look like?" Rose questioned as she examined the Prime Minister thoughtfully and ignored the queasy feeling in her stomach from the examination.

"Uh," Indra stumbled for a moment before he said, "She was shorter than Harriet, short blonde hair and wearing a blue dress."

"Was she heavy?" Rose asked.

"What?" Indra asked.

"Was she a heavy set woman?" Rose asked. "Fat?"

"Yes, I suppose so," Indra said.

"That's it then," Rose said as she turned to Frost. "They must need larger people. The general and Greene were both heavy large men."

"I suppose that makes sense," Frost said thoughtfully. "But they are still larger than those people."

"They said something about a gas exchange," Harriet said suddenly. "After… the body change. One of them, if you'll pardon the word, farted and another said something about fixing the gas exchange."

"Perhaps a compression field," Spock said through the phone. Rose almost jumped, she'd forgotten that he was listening. "That would allow them to shrink themselves down a small bit, but it would not be enough to allow them to fit inside slimmer humans."

"Which explains killing the Prime Minister instead of taking him over," Frost observed.

Rose nodded and finished walking over to the Prime Minister, with Indra's help she adjusted the body so he was lying flat on the floor and gently crossed his arms over his chest.

"Sorry," Rose said in a soft voice, unsure of what else to say. Indra said something which sounded like a prayer under his breath and the room was still for a moment.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Frost said speaking up, "But we've got to figure out something. All the names listed in the emergency protocols are dead downstairs! If the compression field doesn't work for skinny people then we should contact Benton."

"Let's get a bit more information first," Rose said calmly as she climbed to her feet. "See if we can identify the species and weaknesses for Benton before he has to try to attack number 10." Rose walked back over to the table. "Alright Spock we have eight feet tall, light green creatures that require a compression field."

"I require more data than that," Spock said. "Please provide me with any details you have noticed."

Rose shut her eyes and recited a physical description of the aliens and was grateful when no interrupted her.

"Face and shape, that narrows it down to five thousand planets within travelling distance," Spock said. "More data is needed."

"Uh they have a good sense of smell," Rose guessed. "One of them described me as a bag of hormones and adrenaline."

"Access to the compression technology," Frost said. "And their blood is green."

"The technology of the ship," Rose added quickly.

"Wait a minute! Did you notice, when they fart - if you'll pardon the word - it doesn't just smell like a fart - if you'll pardon the word - it's something else, what is it, it's more like uh... um..."

"Bad breathe," Indra said quickly stepping closer to the phone with the others.

"Calcium decay added," Spock said. "Match located. Aliens are natives of Raxacoricofallapatorius."

"Raxacoricofallapatorius," Rose repeated carefully, unable to help the small smile on her face. "Okay any information on if this an invasion of some kind."

"No," Spock said. "According to the files I copied from the Judon ships when they were last in the solar system Raxacoricofallapatorius is a peaceful planet and a member of the Raxas Alliance. They have a council government structure lead by the lord Predator."

"Lord Predator?" Harriet asked doubtfully.

"A traditional title that honors the native's traditions of ritualistic hunting which they recreate on major holidays."

"Okay," Rose said interrupting the lesson. "But if they are peaceful then what is this about."

"In the Judoon's files about Raxacoricofallapatorius there is a notion that the criminal Slitheen family are from the planet. They fled from the planet after their rule of the planet caused the crash of the planet's government and nearly started a war. That was several centuries ago and since then the family has committed a long list of crimes across the universe including three cases of planet murder."

"Planet murder?" Indra repeated in a soft place. "Please tell me-"

"Sorry, it's exactly what it sounds like," Rose said.

"The entire family was tried and found guilty in perpetuity and sentenced to death," Spock added. "But most remain at large."

"So this isn't an invasion," Rose said with a relieved smile. "Spock would you be able to do a global scan to see if there are any more of these things on Earth."

"That will take some time," Spock said. "But it is possible since they are calcium rather than carbon based life forces."

"Get on that, oh and did you and K-9 learn anything else about the ship or the signal?"

"The ship is quite standard, but I cannot get a detailed enough scan to determine what is wrong with the ship. K-9 has been monitoring the signal."

"The signal is a looping message Mistress Rose," K-9 robot voice suddenly said through the phone, earning an amused look from Frost. "It is an advertisement for nuclear fuel."

"Nuclear fuel?" Rose repeated. "Is that all?"

"Affirmative Mistress," K-9 responded. "Source of nuclear fuel is unknown."

Rose exchanged a confused looks with Harriet, but saw a thoughtful look on Frost's face.

"Frost?" Rose questioned.

"Maybe the nuclear missiles," Frost suggested. "Perhaps them or a nuclear plant."

"Then why take over Britain," Rose questioned. "The Americans have a lot more missiles."

"I don't know," Frost said with a shake of her head. "Spock any thoughts on how to destroy the Slithleen."

"The use of the compression field with their calcium bodies may have made them vulnerable to ascetic acid."

"Ascetic acid," Rose said thoughtfully as she crossed her arms. "You mean like vinegar."

"Precisely," Spock said.

"Great thanks," Rose said as she reached for the phone. "Call me when you have more, but we should have enough to contact Geneva."

"Shall I monitor UNIT communications?" Spock questioned and Rose could feel Frost's eyes on her.

"Under the circumstances, that is probably a good idea," Rose said. "If you can manage the scan for more Slithleen let me know."

Hanging up the phone, Rose pulled it from the speaker center and handed it to Lt. Colonel Frost. "Benton's number is programmed in," Rose said with a sheepish smile. "It's his emergency con number and not his office phone so you should be able to reach him."

Frost took the phone from Rose's hand and turned it over a few times to examine it. Then it suddenly rang with a very particular ring tone that made Rose sigh. It was her mother.

"Ignore it," Rose told Frost.

The phone stopped ringing and then promptly started again just as Frost was scrolling through the contact list. Rolling her eyes, Rose grabbed the phone.

"Sorry," she said quickly. "I'll appease her and we can get back to work."

"Who is it?" Harriet asked Frost in a low voice, but the Lt. Colonel could only shrug.

"Hello Mum," Rose greeted pleasantly. "This isn't a good time, I'm out with the-"

"Don't even finish that lie," Jackie said on the other end. "I just got off the phone with Sharon and Shireen and despite their best efforts at lying I know you aren't with them."

"Mum," Rose said softly. "Can we do this later? Please."

"No we cannot do this later!" Jackie snapped. "Rose I've known for years that you have secrets, but this has gone on too long."

"What are you talking about?" Rose questioned, trying to keep her voice calm and even.

"I spent year watching the finances," Jackie said. "I know how much money you inherited and I keep an eye on things. There's extra income from somewhere. You told me that you haven't got a job, but you're making more than twenty thousand pounds a year that isn't connected to the investments."

"Mum-" Rose started to say, but Jackie was on a rant.

"I told myself that you're an adult now and doing far better with your life than I was at your age, but now…. Rose why won't you talk to me?"

"Mum, it's not what you think," Rose insisted.

"I hope not," Jackie said. "Cause the only thing I can come up with to explain the lying, the secrets and the money is that you're a call girl!"

Rose's eyes widened and she was suddenly very aware that she was blushing and that the others in the room were watching her with confusion.

"Mum it's not like that," Rose said. "I'm a consultant for a private firm and I have a confidentially agreement. I'm not allowed to talk about it."

"You haven't even finished your second year," Jackie hissed. "And I doubt I'd have a policeman waiting in the living room if that was all you were doing! I've tried Rose," Jackie sounded close to tears. "I know I wasn't the best mother Rose, but really I-"

"Is the policeman heavy!?" Rose asked loudly to distract her mother. If she was trembling a little bit, Rose ignored it and hoped the others would too.

"What!?" Jackie gasped.

"Is the policeman fat?" Rose asked impatientely. "Mum this is very important!"

"I supposed so," Jackie said in a confused voice. "Plus he's got some gas issues… No, don't you try to distract me Rose!"

"Mum you need to leave the house!" Rose cried. "Leave now and run! Just run!"

"What are you on about?" Jackie asked. "Hold on what's that noise? Oh what is he doing in there?"

"Mum!" Rose shouted into the phone. "No, don't look, just leave out the back!"

A sudden scream echoed through the phone and Rose screamed, "Mum!" in return.


	29. World War III: Best Way Out

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Best Way Out

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: Well The Name of the Doctor didn't mess with any of my plans. To be honest I didn't care much for the episode as I felt absolutely nothing emotional while watching it and finished it out a sense that I had to finish watching it. I think the story moved too fast and it failed to address the long standing questions of the Silence and instead tossed in a different villain. It had a lot of great ideas in it, but moved too quickly to explore those ideas the way they deserved. I'm still optimistic for the 50th anniversary.

Jackie Tyler screamed as the large green creature took shape in front of her when the blue light faded. A fleshy pile fell to the floor as the creature rose to its full height and looked down at her. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen before and one of its long arms with horrible claws reached for her. She screamed and stumbled backwards into the dining room as the phone dropped from her hand.

"Mum!' she vaguely heard shouted from the phone.

She didn't take her eyes off of the creature and shivered as it chuckled at her slowly backing away.

"Not even a good hunt," the creature said in strange rumbling voice. "And no knowledge of daughter, ever more a pity."

"Daughter?" Jackie stuttered, "What do you want with Rose?"

"My job is to remove trouble," the creature said as it took another step towards her. Jackie skittered around the dining table, putting a few between her and creature. "And the family has reported your daughter as trouble."

It lunged towards her and Jackie screamed while shoving a chair forward. The creature merely used its long arms to bat the piece of furniture out of the way and sent it crashing into the wall. Jackie's back hit the wall and she whimpered as the creature moved closer to her. In a moment it was standing over her with a strange smile on its face.

"Disappointing," it said. "Very disappointing."

As it raised its arm, but suddenly stopped and sniffed the air. It turned away from Jackie to look back towards the front door.

"More prey," the creature said sounding cheerful at the prospect. "A strong male of the species. Much more enjoyable."

As the creature moved away a tall dark haired man in a long grey trench coat teamed with clothing out of world war two. Strangely in his hands was a brightly color water gun and Jackie opened her mouth to scream. The creature roared at the newcomer, but he just smirked and raised the water gun.

"Captain Jack Harkness," he said with a cheeky smile. "And I hear you don't like this stuff."

A gush of liquid shot from the front of the water gun and hit the creature squarely in the chest. Jackie's eyes widened in shock and horror as the creature shuddered. Then it exploded into a shower of green globs all over her dining set.

Her rescuer bent down and retrieved the fallen mobile. "Rose, its Jack. Your Mum's fine and I'm taking her to Sarah Jane's until you're finished."

Jack walked over to Jackie who was still sitting stunned on the floor and quickly helped her to her feet. She didn't really notice as Jack started walking her towards the door and only vaguely heard him speaking with her daughter.

"Thank God Rita Anne was visiting Mickey," Jackie said weakly. "I'm not sure her heart could have taken that."

Jack laughed and handed her the phone. "Rose wants a word."

Jackie took the phone with slightly shaking hand. "Rose Marion Tyler what are you into!?"

"Mum," Rose said at the other end. "I'll explain later, right now I've got to take care of business. Jack will keep you safe. He's a friend and you can trust him."

Then the line went dead and Jackie glared at the phone. She hit the speed dial for Rose and glared when she received a busy signal. Turning her gaze to her rescuer she examined the water gun in his hands and the bits of creature all over the room.

"Sorry about the mess," Jack apologized with a smile. "Figured you didn't want me to wait."

"You're a friend of Rose's?" Jackie questioned.

"Yes," Jack replied calmly.

"And you know what she's into?"

"Afraid so," he said. "Don't worry she'll be-" Jack was cut off by Jackie Tyler slapping him across the face.

Rose had hung up and handed the phone straight to Frost. While she was grateful that she knew about the attack on her mother and knew that Jack was keeping her safe it had cost them time.

"My friend Jack helped her," Rose explained quickly to the others. "He used vinegar to kill the thing, apparently it doesn't take much, but in their natural state they are very vulnerable to it."

"Just like Hannibal!" Harriet declared with a smile.

Rose tilted her head in confusion. "What?"

"Hannibal crossed the Alps by dissolving boulders with vinegar," Harriet explained with a smile.

"Did he say anything else?" Frost asked sharply.

"No, just that he'd keep my mother safe," Rose admitted, but Frost was distracted as she was connected to Brigadier Benton.

"Sir, this is Lt. Colonel Frost from Number 10. I'm afraid that situation is extremely dangerous. The aliens have killed almost all the representatives who came today, only Tyler and myself remain and we are sealed inside of the cabinet room."

Frost listened to Benton on the other end for a moment before she reached over and hooked the phone back into the speaker system.

"Say again please," Frost requested.

"Do we know their plan yet?" Benton questioned. "Or how many there are?"

"My sources indicate that this is a criminal family," Rose said quickly. "I don't think there are too many of them."

"Well we know that a lot of strange people have been arriving at Downing Street in the last few hours," Benton said. "Politicians whose presence makes no sense."

"Are they heavier people?" Frost asked.

"Uh, yes I suppose so."

"The Slitheen are using compression technology to walk around inside human skins," Rose explained feeling her stomach turn as she said it. "They need larger people to make it work."

"I see," Benton said slowly. "Have you discovered anything else?"

"Their body chemistry makes them very vulnerable to vinegar," Frost said. "But we aren't in a position to attack them. I suggest a strike against number 10 to deal with the threat."

"I'll see what I can do," Benton said. "But with the aliens in power and the danger of raising an alarm it might be tricky."

"We're safe for now," Rose told him. "And Spock is still working on it."

"Hold on," Benton suddenly said. "What?" his voice was faint. "You need to hear this, there is an international broadcast coming from number 10."

A moment later the voice of one of the Slitheen's in the human body of Joseph Green spoke. "The greatest experts in extra-terrestrial events came here tonight. They gathered in the common cause. But the news I bring you now is grave indeed. The experts are dead. Murdered - right in front of me by alien hands. Peoples of the Earth, heed my words. These visitors do not come in peace."

Rose looked up at Frost in alarm. What were the aliens doing?

"Our inspectors have searched the sky above our heads and they have found massive weapons of destruction, capable of being deployed within 45 seconds."

"What?" Rose asked loudly. "There's no ship!"

"Our technicians can - baffle - the alien probes. But not for long. We are facing extinction. Unless we strike first. The United Kingdom stands directly beneath the belly of the mother ship. I beg the United Nations - pass an emergency resolution. Give us the access codes! A nuclear strike at the heart of the ship is our only chance of survival. Because... from this moment on... it is my solemn duty to inform you... planet Earth is at war."

"What are they up to?" Frost asked with a frown.

"What's this about access codes?" Rose questioned them.

"The British Isles can't gain access to atomic weapons without a special resolution from the UN," Harriet explained. "All access codes are kept secret by the United Nations otherwise. They must be after the weapons for some reason."

"Sir can't you alert the Security Council?" Rose asked Benton through the phone.

"We'll alert them, but the panic that is gripping the streets is the most pressing issue. If they refuse to release the codes these Slitheen might do damage another way in revenge and the people in the streets who are panicking will riot."

"But if we alert them…" Frost shook her head, "What is this all about?"

Rose bit at her lip and then turned and walked to the doorway. She summoned her sword and before the others could stop her pressed the button to open the door. Three of the large aliens were standing in front of the doorway.

"Right then," Rose said. "Enough of the waiting game." She raised her chin and glared at the nearest one. "Who are you lot and what are you doing?" Behind her, Frost blocked the view of the phone by sitting on the edge of the table.

"Jocrassa Fel Fotch Pasameer Day Slitheen at your service," one of them said in an amused voice. "And you are Rose Tyler." The alien glared at her. "My cousin was dispatched to take your mother hostage, but is seems she got lucky."

"My mother," Rose repeated softly, trying not to give anything away. "Most people would consider taking on Jackie Tyler suicide." She paused as if considering something. "You're the ones who set up that ship in the North Sea, the one advertising nuclear fuel. How's that supposed to work? Fuel from where?"

"Oh so the humans did figure out the advert," a new voice said and a short heavy blonde woman in the blue dress appeared. Rose smirked as she noted the woman's left hand was flapping around as she moved the arm. The woman glared at Rose and her eyes dropped to the sword she held.

"What's the plan then?" Rose asked sharply once again.

"Why put the world on red alert?" Indra asked behind her.

"Stupid little animals," Margaret observed with a sick little smile. "Running around so frightened."

"That's it then," Rose said with a frown. "Make us panic so we give you give the Prime Minister control of the nuclear systems. That's why you picked Britain, with the weapons from here you're in a good position to attack every other nuclear county. They retaliate with their nuclear missiles and suddenly the whole planet is nuked in World War Three."

"And we can sit through it in our spaceship waiting in the Thames. Not crashed. Just parked. Only two minutes away," Margret said cheerfully.

"But you'll destroy the planet, this beautiful place. What for?" Harriet demanded from behind Rose.

"Money," Rose spat. "They'll sell off the nuclear remains of Earth as fuel, exactly what their advert promises."

"Sale of the century. We reduce the Earth to molten slag, then sell it. Piece by piece. Radioactive chucks capable of powering every cut-price star liner and budget cargo ship. There's a recession out there, Miss Tyler. People are buying cheap. This rock becomes raw fuel."

"And the five billion people who died?" Rose hissed.

"Stupid pigs," Margaret laughed. "Rather like our cute little alien don't you think?"

"Leave," Rose said in a low angry voice. "Go to your ship and just leave. This is your one chance. If you don't then I'll stop you and the cost will be a lot more than one hand."

"And what can you doing to do from your little box?" Margaret asked with a hateful look.

"You might be surprised," Rose said as she lifted her hand to the button. "By what this girl can do from a box."

As the metal door slid back into place, Rose turned on her heel and walked back to the phone. "Alright sir they are all here at Downing Street. Now that they are in the final phase they can't stray far."

"While that's good to know," Benton said. "There is a limit to the forces I can muster in London at the moment. Most of UNIT forces were scrambled for combat and aren't in the city."

"Aren't in the city," Rose asked, "Then what forces are in the city?"

"Regular military is in the city," Benton said, "But they answer to the Prime Minister's office and not to Geneva."

"Can't you attack with the troops you have?" Harriet asked.

"It's not the Slitheen standing guard out there," Frost said sadly. "Those are human policemen outside and we can't reach them without alerting the Slitheen."

"What can we do?" Rose asked.

"I've alerted the Security Council in New York and they are stalling for time," Benton said. "But it won't work for long. I'm not sure that we can move enough troops to take out the Slitheen quickly enough before they become suspicious." Benton sighed at the other end of the line. "And we don't know what other technology they might have."

There was an uncomfortable pause at the other end of the line. "Benton?" Rose asked, "What is it?"

"Well if they are all contained in one building then…"

"Then the simple solution is to destroy the building," Rose finished nervously as she looked around the room.

"Can you get ahold of the Doctor?" Benton asked. "Could he get you out of there? Geneva HQ is recommending a quick missile strike and the cabinet room cannot withstand long range attacks."

"I can try," Rose said softly. "What if he can't?"

"Then we'll think of something else," Benton said. "Maybe I can airlift a vat of vinegar above the building," he said trying to lighten the mood.

"I'll call him," Rose said. "Stand by for me to call you back."

Rose pulled the phone out of the speaker phone and hit the speed dial for the TARDIS. She was aware of Frost's curious gaze and the concerned expressions of Harriet and Indra. A few moment later she sighed and lowered the phone. "Voicemail is the bane of my relationship with him."

"So now what?" Indra asked. "We've got to be running out of time." He looked over at Frost, "Surely they'll destroy the building soon. It's the best chance to avoid collate damage."

"I'm not sure they'll risk it," Frost said with a look over at Rose. "The person Rose was trying to reach is a powerful ally of Earth, but if UNIT hurts or kills Rose…."

"There'd be hell to pay," Rose said cheerfully. "Or at least the Doctor to pay." Rose's expression saddened. "I'm not sure they could withstand that storm."

"I suppose you should call Benton back then," Harriet said. "Surely they'll think of something."

"Yeah," Rose turned her attention to her phone and dialed a number. The phone rang and she lifted it to her ear just as Spock came on the line.

"Spock," Rose said. "Are you aware of the situation?"

"I have been monitoring UNIT communications and I am aware of the current suggested means of attack," the Xylok replied. "The Security Council in New York is still officially in discussion, but demonstrations have already begun all over the world to protest the time it is taking them."

"So if something doesn't happen soon Earth might start tearing itself apart," Rose observed.

"According to report three people have already been killed across the globe at these demonstrations. While not violent yet in nature I'm afraid that people are causing rioting and stampedes. It will only get worse."

"Any suggestions?" Rose asked. "If all of the enemy are in this building how can we quickly neutralize them without them having time to escape or retaliate with any weapons they might have?"

"I'm afraid the plan suggested by UNTI has the highest likely hood of success with the least damage to human life. A frontal assault would be between humans and alert the Slitheen and further delays will alert them that their plan has been discovered. My investigation of the ship has provided no information on what arms it might carry as it is a refitted escort ship."

"Any good news?" Rose asked.

"You friend Jack Harkness was able to convince K-9 he was an ally before the dog opened fire," Spock replied. "And you mother is down in the kitchen with tea so she is not hearing this conversation."

"That is good news," Rose said. "Alright then, thanks Spock."

"You are about to do something very foolish aren't you?" Spock asked.

"Possibly, keep an eye out," Rose said before hanging up the phone. She turned her attention back to the others. "Demonstrations have already started because the UN hasn't handed over the access codes. Things are going to turn bloody one way or another very quickly. Spock can't verify what technology the Slitheen might have to attack Earth directly. While they probably can't destroy us, they might be able to kill a lot of people when they determine that their plan isn't going to work."

"What do you suggest?" Harriet asked with a remarkably calm expression.

"Use the missile," Rose said firmly as she did her best to keep any fear out of her voice. "If we blow up number 10 then we can destroy the threat while it is still isolated." Rose swallowed, "They've already killed a lot of people and have made it clear that they have no problems killing billions of us." Rose looked at all of them. "While I appreciate UNIT trying to find a solution that doesn't' risk us… I'm not selfish enough to want to risk this spiraling out of control."

"I agree," Harriet said firmly from across the room. "And as the only elected representative for the people of the UK in this room I say that using the missile is the best option to avoid further danger to the people. On their behalf I order you to see this missile launched."

Frost merely nodded and while Indra looked a bit ill, he also nodded in agreement. Rose forced a small smile and accessed the internet with her phone, grateful for her recent upgrade. Her first phone hadn't had the new connections, but then it had been destroyed and she'd gotten the latest Blackberry to replace it. Quickly she accessed the UNIT website and entered the restricted sections. The tiny screen made it difficult, but it was doable.

"What are you doing?" Frost asked.

"I won't ask anyone else to do this," Rose said as she started to hack into UNIT using the access codes she'd learned from all her times hacking. "Not UNIT or Spock." Rose gave Frost a small smile, "That way the Doctor isn't justified being angry with them."

"If the rumors are true he's going to be angry no matter who fires it," Frost said.

"Well I'm not planning on dying," Rose said. "Indra, Frost start preparing that cupboard," Rose said as she pointed to the small cabinet off of the main room. "It's small and strong so we might be able to ride it out in there."

"You think that will work?" Indra said as he moved towards the cabinet.

"Well I have it on good information that I'm not supposed to die today," Rose said. "Now history can be rewritten, but I'm willing to think positive. Think of it like an earthquake and we're going to be standing in a doorframe."

Frost gave Rose a searching look, but nodded. She moved over with Indra and began cleaning out the small room. Rose moved away from the edge of the table as the two of them started to pile boxes on the table.

"Harriet," Rose said. "Check the emergency protocols. I'm going to need to access the royal navy to get this done."

"Here it is," Harriet said a moment later. "The password buffalo overrides all security measures."

"Great," Rose entered the password carefully on the tiny keyboard. "This really isn't the sort of thing phones were designed for," she muttered. "I'm in. Here we go the H.M.S. Taurean, Trafalgar Class Submarine, 10 miles off the coast of Plymouth." Rose pulled up the list of missiles. "What do you think Frost? Sub Haffoon, UGMA4A?"

"That will do the job," Frost said from the cupboard. She shook her head. "God your boyfriend is going to kill Benton for even putting this idea into your head."

"Well my idea was leaning towards using my sword and trying to attack them all," Rose said. "So this is actually probably a safer idea for me personally given the length of their arms. And don't call him my boyfriend." A moment later Rose took a breath and looked over at the others. "Target is set and missile in in our control. Are we ready?"

"Yes," Harriet said with a firm nod. "Fire."

"Okay," Rose said. "Firing." She pressed the tiny button on her mobile and watched the small message appear on her screen. "There it goes."

"Counter defense will try to stop it," Frost said.

"556 was just neutralized," Rose said as she moved towards the cupboard. "Either by UNIT or Spock so we're good on that front. Good thing too, this thing doesn't allow for speed hacking. The four of them climbed into the cupboard. "God I never want to hack on a mobile again!" Rose grumbled as she moved to join the others in the cupboard.

As Rose sat down she could hear the fire alarm sounding through the building. Indra closed the door behind them, sealing the small space. Unseen to them the area around Downing Street was being evacuated, but the aliens remained struggling to put on their skins.

"I hope they don't escape," Harriet said softly.

"They didn't have their skins on," Indra observed as they huddled at the bottom of the tiny space. "Surely it takes time to get into those."

"Here it comes," Rose said softly.

"Nice knowing you," Harriet said to them all as Rose slipped the phone back into her bag. They joined hands and Harriet looked up towards the ceiling. "Hannibal!"

Suddenly the small room violent shook and a tremendous roar vibrating throughout the space. Rose gasped as the air was forced from her lungs and was knocked into Indra. They were all thrown to the side as the entire cupboard was tossed by the explosion. Then everything went still.

Rose carefully moved to her knees and studied the tiny room, it was intact. She shifted slightly to avoid putting her weight on the others and crawled to the doorway. With Frost's help she was able to force it open, knocking back the debris.

"We were lucky," Frost observed as they moved out into the shell of the cabinet room.

The steel walls were bent and smoking from the explosion, but they had sheltered the small cupboard from the worst of the explosive forces. Together they forces down the weakened steel door of the cabinet room and Harriet stepped out.

"Made in Britain," Harriet announced proudly and Indra chuckled at the sentiment.

A sergeant in police black rushed up to them. "Are you alright?"

Rose grinned as Harriet pulled out her remarkably intact ID card and held it up. "Harriet Jones. MP, Flydale North. I want you to contact UN immediately, tell the ambassadors the crisis is over and they can step down." When the sergeant hesitated Harriet barked, "Go on, tell the news!"

"Yes, ma'am." As the sergeant rushed off, Harriet looked around with a frown.

"Someone's got a hell of a job sorting this lot out. Oh, Lord! We haven't even got a Prime Minister!"

Rose smiled at the woman while trying not to laugh. "Well I'd certainly vote for you." Rose grinned at the look on Harriet's face.

"Now, don't be silly. I'm only a back-bencher."

"They wouldn't have to debrief you," Rose said, brushing dust off of her jeans.

"Look, I'd better go and see if I can help," Harriet said as she gestured for Indra to follow. The man nodded quickly and followed her over the rubble.

Rose climbed over the rubble and paused to watch as Harriet approached the crowd and the media. Smiling, she glanced over at Frost who nodded in silent agreement. Even at the distance they were able to hear Harriet's speech.

"The crisis has passed! Ladies and Gentlemen - I have something to say to you all! Mankind stands tall - proud - and undefeated. God bless the human race."

Turning away they both headed carefully down the road away from the media crowd. Rose pulled out her phone and hit the number for Benton. The call was answered instantly.

"Tyler? God are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Rose said cheerfully. "A little bruised, but fine. Frost is okay and Harriet Jones MP, Flydale North is already working on clean up."

"You launched the missile yourself," Benton said. "Why?"

"There wasn't time to find another solution," Rose said gently. "And I didn't want to ask you or someone else who is my friend to launch something that might kill me."

There was silence on the other end for a moment before Benton sighed. "What am I supposed to do with you?"

"Well how about not letting me be prosecuted for hacking into the royal navy and launching a missile. I'd really like to not go to prison," Rose said ignoring a snort from Frost.

"I'm sure I can manage that," Benton said sounding both amused and exhausted.

"One question," Rose asked. "Was it you lot who handled the counter defense?"

"Yes," Benton said. "Once we saw the missile had been launched to Downing Street we knew what you had done."

"Thanks for that,' Rose said. "My phone really isn't designed for hacking even with web access." Rose sighed softly. "Well one thing you should know if that my Mum now knows about aliens," Rose told him nervously. "I'm afraid I'll have to explain some things to her."

"I see," Benton said. "Do you need me-"

"I'll handle it," Rose said quickly. "My Mum doesn't handle authority figures any better than I do." Rose sighed, "Mind you the temptation to jump on a plane to Australia and seek asylum with Tegan is very strong."

Benton chuckled on the other end and said, "Just try to stay out of trouble Tyler."

"I make no promises," Rose added with a laugh before she hung up the phone.

"Not too bad for the first widely known first contact," Rose observed as she looked over at Forst.

"If it is admitted," Frost said.

"You don't think it will be?" Rose questioned.

"Only a few people actually saw the aliens and the ship can be passed off as a small earth plane that was altered for an elaborate ruse." Frost shrugged as they walked down the street and away from the crowds. "I'm not sure they're ready yet."

"Maybe," Rose said with a shrug. "Anyway, I'll leave this in your hands Elizabeth, I've got another crisis to go and deal with."

"Right then," Elizabeth stood at attention and saluted Rose. "It has been a pleasure Thorn."

Rose smiled and held out a hand for Frost to shake. "The pleasure was mine Lt. Colonel," Rose paused. "I only hope when they promote you you'll be a pleasant Colonel. I've not had much luck with people of that rank."

Frost couldn't quite contain the smile and said, "I'll find a car to take you home."

"That would be nice," Rose said. "It's been a long long day." Rose swallowed and added, "Please let me know what sort of funerals or memorial is going to be held for the others."

"I will," Frost promised softly.

Frost walked over to a group of policemen who looked very confused by the sudden turn of events and Rose watched with amusement as they straightened for the military officer. As she looked around Rose noticed the words "Bad Wolf" spray painted on the side of a building. Judging from the texture, it was fresh. Rose took and looked at the words for a moment before she shook her head and walked over to join Frost as the woman gestured to her. A few minutes later she was in the back of a car heading for home and unfortunately her irate mother.


	30. World War III: Mother and Daughter

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Thirty: Mother and Daughter

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: I find Jackie one of the most difficult characters to write in this series. I know that sounds strange, but I envision her as having a lot of insecurities that Rose's success pulls to the surface. She loves her daughter and is proud of the fact she is succeeding, but also feels sidelined because of it. Jackie masks this as best she can, but like everyone has limits.

Never had Bannerman Road seemed so frightening to Rose and given that Sarah Jane's house had once been sieged by one of the Bane that was an odd thought. She climbed out of the car at the end of the street so that she had a short walk to stretch her legs and collect her thoughts. Everything on the street looked the same as it did before the alien attack. Briefly Rose's thoughts went to the Powell Estates and the reactions she could imagine her old building mates having to an alien crash. She snorted at the mental image of signs hanging all over the estate and the parties that she were sure had happened. At that moment she was almost homesick for the small simpler life she had come from, but the feeling quickly vanished.

Walking a bit straighter, Rose headed for Sarah Jane's house. She supposed it was possible that Jack may have returned her mother to their home, but she imagined that Jack would prefer having Spock and K-9 as a buffer between him and her mother. When she reached the front door, Rose used the sonic pen to open the door and then locked it behind her.

Taking a moment to check her appearance in the hall mirror, Rose quickly straightened her hair a bit and brushed off some of the dirt and dust she missed. Hearing some noise in the direction of the kitchen, Rose turned and walked into Sarah Jane's living room where she found her mother waiting.

Jackie Tyler was wearing on her tracksuits and her dyed blonde hair was in youthful ponytails, but she looked older than Rose had ever seen her mother. Their eyes met and neither spoke as they both studied each other. Rose could feel her mother's eyes taking in the rip in her jeans and the bruise that she could feel forming on her jaw from being thrown around in the cupboard. Rose allowed the quite observation, unsure of how to begin the conversation.

"What did Jack tell you?" Rose decided to start with.

"That you work for the United Nations stopping aliens," Jackie answered harshly. "That's all he would tell me about it. Wouldn't even say what was happening today."

Rose mentally called Jack a coward, but forced herself to focus on her mother.

"When did it start?" Jackie asked her voice tense and strained.

"Remember when I was eleven and kids starting vanishing?" Rose asked and seeing her mother nod she added, "That's when I found out that aliens were real. It was alien that took everyone and it tried to take me, but I helped defeat it and save everyone. Ever since they I've helped deal with aliens when I encountered then."

Jackie's face paled slightly at the realization of just how long it had been. She swallowed thickly and tightened her fingers into a fist.

"And that's what you've been hiding?!" Jackie hissed, trying to reign in her anger and failing miserably. "That you fight aliens!" Jackie's voice grew louder and more anger with every word. "That you make a bloody job out it!" She was shouting now, "That you can't be bothered to tell me anything! Meanwhile I'm worried that you've set yourself up as an escort or helping with drugs or smuggling because you make secret trips and don't tell me what you're doing!"

"Why are you angry about this?!" Rose asked feeling her own temper flaring defensively. "What happened to 'I'm too busy being proud of you'? If you've been so worried why not ask?"

"Because I wasn't sure it was my business!" Jackie snapped. "I'm not stupid, but come on my daughter bought me a house and was giving me an annual allowance! Asking questions…." Jackie huffed and looked at Rose. "Thing is Rose I don't see anything of the little girl I raised in you anymore." Her mother's voice weakened and sounded ready to break. "I don't see my daughter, just this stranger that apparently I know nothing about. I don't see anything of me in you anymore."

Jackie swallowed as her hands shook slightly. She tried to straighten up, but failed looking, more defeated than Rose had seen since her Mum's old abusive boyfriend Theo had been living with them. "Look I get it. At your age was pregnant with you and wasn't married to you dad yet. I was trying to learn to do hair, not physics and we were living in council flats. Why would you want to tell me anything? That's what I thought and that's why I've kept my mouth shut."

"That wasn't the reason," Rose gasped. "Not at all."

Jackie's anger returned in a flash. "That what was it!?" She demanded and Rose could already see the sparks flashing in her Mum's eyes. "Why wouldn't you trust me if it wasn't because I was too stupid for you!?"

"I was selfish alright!" Rose shouted almost desperately. "I was selfish," Rose repeated after taking a breath. "The way it was worked for me because I got to go out and do what I liked and then return home and not have to deal with it. I didn't have to worry about you worrying or if you'd approve of my decisions or my alien friends. Yeah Mum I've got alien friends." Rose took another breath, "It was selfish and you know what I'm okay with that because like it or not this is my life. I don't have to live up or down to any expectation that you've got!"

"Oh so now I'm a bad mother?" Jackie demanded.

"No," Rose said with a shake of her head as she kept her own temper in check. "You always did the best you could so I would never ever call you a bad mother." Rose looked Jackie straight in the eye. "But you weren't perfect and neither was I. We best accept that. We are both imperfect and both have made mistakes."

There was a tense silence as they sized each other up. Rose was struck by the little confession her mother had made, but already knew that it would never be spoken of again. That wasn't how things worked in the Tyler household which is what had brought them to this point. It would again Rose realized sadly whenever her Mum found out about her dating the Doctor.

"You still should have told me," Jackie grumbled.

"Maybe," Rose said, lifting her chin slightly. "But I didn't. That's all there is to it."

"That's not-"

"Yes it is," Rose said quickly, cutting off her mother. "I'm an adult, a fairly successful one at that. My investments are good, I make good money from my work with UNIT, I have good friends and I'm making a good life for myself. That is all there is to it."

"It's not safe," her mother said in a softer tone.

"Nothing is safe," Rose said much more gently. "The world is full of danger and risk, it's called being alive." Jackie didn't respond so Rose added, "I've had help along the way. When I was eleven I was helped by an alien called the Doctor. He saved me and protected me from the alien who was snatching kids," Rose said gently. "He's helped me lots of times against the bad aliens," she explained. "He's a friend and the organization I work for UNIT knows him." Rose gestured towards the stairs leading to the attic. "That's how I met Jack too, he's a friend of the Doctor's and helped me once against an alien who was hurting people."

"I want you to stop," Jackie said suddenly. "Just stop. If you work for this UNIT then they can hire someone else. It's not like you need the money."

"It's not about the money Mum," Rose told her. "Never has been." Rose sighed softly as she searched for the words. "It's' about doing something that really matters with my life. Something that I can believe in. I'm lucky that I've got that." Rose laughed softly. "I mean if aliens weren't a part of my life who knows where I'd be. Might be working in a shop and still living on the estate."

"I've worked in shops," Jackie huffed. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," Rose said quickly. "But can you honestly saw that you loved what you were doing and believed that it made a difference." Rose swallowed. "Mum the aliens today were going to destroy the world, kill every single human on the planet. I helped stop them," Rose said urgently. "I'm never going to regret that fact."

Jackie huffed and walked past Rose. "I'm going home to clean up the mess your Captain Jack made in the dining room and I don't want to hear a word about aliens for the rest of the night."

Rose nodded even though her mother couldn't see her. "That's fair," she consented. "I'll be home soon."

The front door slammed, one last show of her mother's temper. Rose let out a breath and enjoyed the silence for a moment. Worse than she had hoped and better than she had feared. Briefly Rose wondered what Shireen would have made of her mother's words and reactions. She was almost tempted to call up the psychology student in hopes of gaining some insight, but dismissed the through quickly. Her relationship with her mother was now on thin ice and chipping it away purposefully would not be beneficial.

Walking up the stairs, Rose heard the musical laughter of Jack in the attic and could hear Spock and K-9 talking. She hoped that Jack wasn't encouraging a snark sessions for his own amusement, but she wouldn't put it past him. Instead she found Jack, K-9 and Spock playing what appeared to be some three way variation of chess via a hologram that Spock was projecting. Had she been in a better mood Rose probably would have watched and asked how it was played, but as it was she cleared her throat.

"Rose," Jack said cheerfully as he stood from his seat on the sofa. He saw her face and instantly his expression softened. "Come here," he said warmly opening his arms.

Despite not knowing Jack very well, in the absence of the Doctor, Shireen, Sharon or Eve, Rose was going to take the hug. She stepped into the arms of her current friend and apparent future close friend and accepted the hug.

"She's mad at me," Rose said sadly.

"You and your mother have always had a… unusual relationship," Jack supplied.

"That worries me," Rose said as she released Jack and stepped back. "She's the only parent I've got. Dad's long gone and I've got no other real family."

"I know," Jack said gently. "It'll get better. She'll come around, I promise."

"I have a hard time believing that,' Rose said with a frown.

"It's a slow process," Jack said. "But she already knows she can't change your mind." Jack rubbed his cheek. "I'm glad your first instinct isn't to slap. That could be a nasty genetic trait, now I understand what the Doctor must have felt."

"She slapped the Doctor?" Rose asked with wide eyes.

"Oncoming Storm vs. Jackie Tyler," Jack said with a chuckle. "Not the result you might expect."

Rose groaned and said, "Please tell me that they don't' hate each other."

Jack gave her a warm smile and answered, "They learn to live with each other… well as long as they don't actually have to live with each other." Jack grinned. "Mostly they both realize that they are stuck with each other because of you."

Rose smiled, feeling a bit better after hearing Jack say that. He returned the smile and Rose recognized that had been the purpose of the little conversation.

"Thanks Jack," Rose said sincerely. "I mean it, really thank you."

"What else are friends for if not jumping around in your time stream and saving your Mum." Jack rubbed his jaw again. "Mind you, I might make the Doctor do it next time."

Rose chuckled and turned her attention away from Jack to K-9 and Spock who were watching quietly. "And thank you to the both of you," Rose said. "You were fantastic."

Jack chuckled at her use of the word and Rose smiled in response.

She walked over to K-9 and patted him on the head. "Good dog," she said sweetly.

"Affirmative," K-9 replied, wagging his metal tail a tiny bit.

"And thank you Mr. Spock," Rose said. "Let me know if you detect any other problems."

"I will endeavor to do so," Spock informed her. "Shall I inform Sarah Jane of the situation?"

"If she calls yes," Rose said. "Otherwise let her enjoy her holiday."

"As you wish Rose," Spock replied. "It may interest you to know that UNIT-"

"Let's leave them alone for a few days," Rose said quickly. "I'm probably in enough trouble as it is so just ease up on the Big Brother act for a few days."

"Very well," Spock said and if he sounded a bit petulant Rose decided to ignore it.

She walked back over Jack and they calmly left the attic together. Jack's long strides and taking the stairs two by two got him to the ground floor first. He rolled up his sleeve enough to access his vortex manipulator and Rose was silent as she watched him program it. Once he was satisfied he looked over at her and smiled.

"It'll get better Rosie," he assured her. "Jackie loves you."

"I know," Rose said with a nod. "I guess I'll just have to accept that we don't have much in common."

Jack nodded and held out a hand to Rose. She debated for a moment before she gave him her hand and let his pull her close for a quick kiss on the lips. Shaking her head, Rose stepped back as Jack gave her a wide grin and pressed a button on the vortex manipulator. She watched as Jack vanished in a whirl of blue light.

Once he was gone Rose locked up Sarah Jane's house and walked across the street to her own house. There she found a bucket of soapy water waiting in the dining room along with almost every cleaning product in the house and a note that said: you can clean up after your aliens. Sighing, Rose shrugged out of her hoodie and started trying to work out how to best clean up the calcium green goo.

Shireen and Sharon didn't object when Rose delayed their trip to Spain for three days after the dates for a UNIT memorial were announced. She hadn't expected them too, but she was grateful for her friends simple acceptance and their offer to accompany her. In the end Rose had declined the company and met up with Malcolm and Kate who had returned to a sad debriefing of what they had missed. If Toshiko was relieved that she hadn't been permitted to attend she said nothing on the subject to Rose.

It was raining which felt right in a sad way to Rose. The service was in a stone gazebo in one of the military cemeteries that Rose had never had a reason to visit before. Standing with the rest of the science division in black they made a somber compliment to the sea of uniforms. As Rose expected Frost had already been promoted to fill a gap left by the attempt and she spoke briefly after Brigadier Benton. Bodies were already being flown to their home countries for burial, but the ceremony honored their sacrifice for their home planet.

Rose felt a stab of pain that the entire event had been dismissed as a hoax so easily. History wouldn't remember why they died. As she looked over at the Brigadier and the retired General Lethbridge-Stewart who was attending she realized that they'd probably felt that sorrow plenty of times before. Aliens and UFOs and still people managed to dismiss it, not knowing what the cost had been to keep them safe. As Amina's name was called Rose tensed up until Tosh reached over and squeezed her hand.

Military formality fell away once the speeches were finished with many of the attendees coming to Rose and Frost with congratulations and condolences. Their faces blurred together until Benton walked over and gestured for Rose to join him. He led her across the room to an empty space to talk.

"I sorry if I made thing difficult," she said honestly to him. "I wasn't trying to get you or anyone else into trouble by firing the missile myself."

She heard General Lethbridge-Stewart snort as he moved past them to speak with Kate. Rose spared a glance over towards him as he and his daughter spoke formally. Apparently their real relationship was still officially a secret.

"He's grateful that Kate wasn't there," Benton told her as he looked over at them. He returned his gaze to Rose a moment later. "I sorted it out, apparently your security status upgrade didn't go through properly and was delayed."

"Oh," Rose said softly. "I see, that's good to know."

Benton sighed softly and then shook his head. "Just be careful Rose," he gave her a sad smile. "Not everyone embraces your way of doing things."

"I just did what UNIT was going to do," Rose defended.

"Yes, but you made the choice not UNIT," Benton said. "To some that make a difference." Benton paused and considered his words for a moment. "The Doctor can leave Rose, that's the thing you've got to remember. When the trouble is past he leaves, you don't."

"True," Rose said tentatively.

"Some respect you more for that," Benton said gently. "Others resent what they see as a kid stealing their glory."

"What you think?" Rose asked.

Benton studied Rose for a moment. "Why did you launch the missile yourself instead of just call me and tell me to?"

"I wanted it to be my choice," Rose admitted. "I didn't want anyone having to carry that responsibly when I was capable of doing it myself." Rose swallowed and added, "I've killed Benton, I'm not proud of it and while I'm at peace with those decisions it isn't something I'll ever ask someone else to do." She shrugged, unsure if she was communicating her feelings properly. Personal morality versus greater duty was hard to explain.

Benton's lips moved into a sad smile. "That's why I respect you," he said gently. "But even I resent you a little bit."

"Why?" Rose asked, honestly confused.

"Because with the Doctor you can tell yourself that he's an alien, that he is different so it makes sense that you can't possibly live up to that." Benton smiled at her and said, "But you're a human being. You were born and raised in London and yet you do these things. That fact strips away excuses for the rest of us not to be like that. Even I resent that sometimes."

Rose wasn't sure how to respond to that honest statement and remained silent. Benton pulled out a card and handed it to her. Taking it from him, Rose studied it. The card was similar to a business card, but this one had her name, title, ID number and the highest security ranking listed. She smiled despite her discomfort at Benton.

"Thank you," she said. "I'll try not to get you into any trouble."

"I'd appreciate that," Benton said with a smirk. "But given I risked court martial for the Doctor once I think it is safe to say that I'm willing to take on a little trouble for the two of you."

"I rank in that category?" Rose questioned softly.

"Yes," Benton answered. "In my book you do."

Rose gave him an honest smile and nodded as she slipped the card into the pocket of the black blazer she was wearing.

"I respect you a great deal," Rose told him. "And I'm grateful that Earth has you as one of its defenders."

"Thank you," Benton said with a small smile of his own. "Are you traveling for spring break?"

"Yes," Rose said. "I'm going to Spain to see Easter with my friends."

"I'll alert the Spain UNIT division that you're coming," Benton said.

Rose opened her mouth to protest, but then shut it. "Yeah," she said. "That might be a good idea."

"I'd say stay out of trouble, but you'd just say-"

"I make no promises," Rose finished with a sad little smile as her eyes swept over the pictures on the easels at the front of the room. "Except one," she said suddenly to Benton. "I promise that I'll always do my best to make whatever happens worth it."

Benton followed her gaze and his expression soften. He looked back at her and nodded. "No one could ask for more Rose."

Next Time: Secret of the Alhambra

Astra looked at Shireen with a raised eyebrow. "What makes you so certain that something is going to happen?" She asked calmly.

"Because you're here," Shireen said with a raised eyebrow of her own. "Something always happens when you are around."

"Exactly," Sharon said in agreement. "So are you going to tell us what it is?"

"If something was going to happen I wouldn't know," Astra said with a slight huff. "It hasn't happened to me yet and since my Mum knows what it is like to live through events already knowing how they turn out she avoids doing that to me." Astra glanced towards Rose in the distance. "Besides my Mum could have sent me here for a nice holiday."

"Ten quid says no," Sharon offered.

Astra glanced around and sighed before shaking her head. "No," she said in a defeated tone. "No bet, you're probably right. Something is going to explode or something soon."

"Ten quid says it starts within the next three hours," Sharon offered with smile.

"That bet I'll take," Astra agreed with a smile.


	31. Secret of the Alhambra: Enter Espana

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Thirty-One: Secret of the Alhambra: Enter Espana

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: I'm sorry this is late. I had this about half finished when I ended up with a pinched nerve in my shoulder that put me in a lot of pain and unable to type properly. I'm better now and I hope you enjoy the new episode start, it's a bit slow at first to give the girls some time together.

Barcelona Spain in April was extremely pleasant to Rose Tyler and her English friends. They had arrived in the Mediterranean climate from the still slightly chilly grasp of early spring in England. Rose had arrived two days ago in Barcelona with Sharon and Shireen and met up with Astra who had been waiting for them there for several days due to Rose delaying the trip for the UNIT service. Rather than asking for details Astra had promptly thrown herself into the role of tour guide as she'd spent her time seeing some of the sights.

Rose spent the first day in Spain tense and as happy as she was to see Astra, who was on break from her university in America, she kept glancing up at the sky as if expecting something. To start off the vacation Astra suggested a day of shopping on Las Ramblas and they ended up waiting in line for over an hour to get inside the Sagrada Família, a very unconventional church designed by the local hero Antoni Gaudí. His work could be found all throughout the city and was different from even the modernist structures that Rose had grown up seeing in London. She recalled the Doctor had mentioned a planet named Barcelona once and wondered if it was anything like the city.

By the second day the tension started to ease a little and Rose didn't shift into a defensive position as every little noise. Instead she let herself enjoy Park Güell and have photos taken at the Dragon Fountain with her friends. On day three Rose was even willing to leave the city on a day trip without too much stress showing and the girls visited Monestir de Montserrat. The large rebuilt monastery that didn't take much time to see, but they spent the afternoon hiking the trails that snaked around the mountains. With Rose finally properly relaxed her friends were able to let out a sigh of relief.

"So how are things with the boyfriend?" Astra asked with a small smile.

"He's my significant other," Rose corrected. "Boyfriend's too juvenile for someone his age." But then she smiled despite herself, " He was good last time I saw him. Donna keeps him on his toes which is always fun to hear about, but she has a habit of vanishing before he comes to see me."

"Would you want to tag along on someone's date?" Shireen pointed out with a laugh.

"I suppose not," Rose agreed before looking over at Astra. "I'm just sorry you've never properly met him."

"Oh don't worry," Astra said quickly. "Last time in Bolivia was a bit mad to be stopping to introduce me to your significant other."

"Anyway," Sharon said trying to turn the focus away for Astra's dramatic world saving suicide that Rose didn't know about. "How have you been Astra, we almost never see you?"

"Oh I'm good," Astra answered with a glance towards Rose. "Staying busy with school."

"I still don't understand why you choose to go to CalTech," Rose pouted slightly. "I bet you could've gotten into Cambridge with me."

"Cambridge isn't bad," Astra said with a shrug. "But CalTech has awesome programs and then it's in California. Land where the sun shines and I can go surfing on the weekends. Plus the take-home examinations that all the teachers do are great."

"But your mother is English right?" Rose questioned. "Did you ever consider an English school?"

"Nope," Astra said popping her p. "Honestly when I picked a school it was more about where I'd have fun. Mummy told me that being happy where I was going to be was more important."

Shireen and Sharon glanced at each other and smiled slightly at the odd conversation between Rose and her future daughter. Slowing down a bit, Sharon allowed herself to fall behind Rose and Astra and Shireen matched her pace.

"I can't believe that Rose hasn't figured it out," Sharon observed softly.

"In her defense there really isn't a reason to assume your odd friend that you only see during school breaks is in fact your future daughter who for some reason is choosing to live in the same time period as you," Shireen pointed out with a shrug.

"I wonder why she is attending school now," Sharon questioned. "Why not in another twenty years or something? Heck why Earth and not… I don't know the Mars Academy of something?"

"Maybe she just likes it," Shireen suggested. "I'm glad she's started living alongside Rose properly in time. It makes keeping things straight a lot easier for me now. I hate all that time travel stuff."

"True," Sharon responded. "I just wonder what the Doctor thought about his Time Lady daughter studying on Earth."

"Probably thought it was funny," Shireen chuckled. "Course I don't think Astra has her own TARDIS yet or whatever else she might use to travel through time so she may have gone to university for the same reason as anyone else."

"To get away from the parents?"

"Exactly," Shireen said with a nod. "Mind you she didn't get away from them completely," she added gestured towards Rose and Astra ahead of them.

The next day was their final day in Barcelona before they were moving on to Madrid and the girls had been dashing around to see every last thing they wanted to see. Finally Sharon all but collapsed into a patio chair by a gelato shop. Sharon and Shireen joined her with grateful smiles while Astra just cheerfully beamed at them.

"Come on," Astra said. "Last day in Barcelona!"

"My feet are killing me," Shireen muttered with a pout. "How long is the train trip tomorrow?"

"About three hours," Astra responded automatically with a cheerful tone. "Should be fun."

"You didn't travel on trains much as a kid did you?" Shireen asked with a knowing smirk.

Astra gave her a warning look, but shook her head to answer the question.

"Well you can rest and I'll get us some gelato," Rose announced with a smile. "How about two big chocolates to split?"

"Sounds heavenly," Sharon said with a happy sigh. "Need a hand?"

"No, I got it," Rose said as she stood up and walked over to the counter across the patio.

Once she was gone Shireen turned to Astra. "So when is it going to happen? We've already been in Spain for four days and there hasn't been an invasion or a crash."

Astra looked at Shireen with a raised eyebrow. "What makes you so certain that something is going to happen?" She asked calmly.

"Because you're here," Shireen said with a raised eyebrow of her own. "Something always happens when you are around."

"Exactly," Sharon said in agreement. "So are you going to tell us what it is?"

"If something was going to happen I wouldn't know," Astra said with a slight huff. "It hasn't happened to me yet and since my Mum knows what it is like to live through events already knowing how they turn out she avoids doing that to me." Astra glanced towards Rose in the distance. "Besides my Mum could have sent me here for a nice holiday. I am in university myself now."

"Ten quid says no," Sharon offered.

Astra glanced around and sighed before shaking her head. "No," she said in a defeated tone. "No bet, you're probably right. Something is going to explode or something soon. Rose is relaxed now and finally recovering from having to fire that missile so of course the universe will drop something on her."

"Ten quid says it starts within the next three hours," Sharon offered with smile.

"That bet I'll take," Astra agreed with a smile. She glanced back over at her mother and shook her head with a sigh. "Poor Mummy."

Rose returned a few minutes later with two cups of gelato and four spoons.

"I love this stuff," Astra said as she dug in. "Can't find it easily in the states."

"I bet not," Rose said with a laugh. "At least we have Soho. I got addicted to this stuff when we visited Italy." Rose took another bite. "It's cool that they have it in Spain too."

Rose looked up at the buildings as they quietly ate their gelato. They were across the street from one of the more distinct buildings on the street with smoothly curving balconies and an almost coral look that reminded her a bit of the TARDIS. So she said so.

"Really?" Shireen questioned as she looked at the building and tilted her head. She looked back at Rose, "Do you hate the TARDIS or something?"

Rose glared at her friend. "Of course not it's just the texture… oh never mind." Rose blushed slightly and took some more gelato, sulking slightly while Shireen giggled.

"So here's a question I've been meaning to ask," Sharon said, "how often when you go on dates do you get where he meant to? The companions are always talking about how hit or miss the TARDIS can be."

"Actually so far we've always ended up when and where he meant us to," Rose said thoughtfully. "He is always a bit surprised by it."

"So what he's a better driver around you?"

"Well…" Rose hesitated. "I think the TARIDS wants me to like her."

"What?" Shireen asked around a laugh.

"The TARDIS is sentient," Rose explained quickly. "And I don't know I just have this sense that she wants me to like her." Rose shrugged. "Maybe she knows that we're the two most important women in the Doctor's life and figured we should get along. Maybe she doesn't want to risk me changing my mind about coming with him."

"So the TARDIS is trying to impress you?" Sharon asked slowly.

"I don't know that for sure," Rose said. "But that's just the sense I get when I'm inside the console room. She hums really nicely and always translates for me when I ask and doesn't hijack my dates with the Doctor…"

Astra smiled into a spoonful of gelato. Of course the TARDIS liked Rose and didn't want to risk her changing her mind, but Astra knew better than to say anything. Rose quickly changed the subject to what else they wanted to see in Barcelona and discussion of their train departure time the next day. Despite Astra, Sharon and Shireen discussing the lack of aliens, Astra excluded of course, and the bet absolutely nothing unusual happened. Well nothing unusual for Barcelona that is.

Then the bet was changed that something would happen in Madrid, the capital city of Spain and home of the Royal Palace. Yet nothing happened. The girls visited the Plaza Mayor and despite the tension between her and Jackie Rose sent her a mother a postcard and picked up a gift for her. Other than Astra flinching slightly at the translation of the Puerta del Sol (Gateway of the Sun) nothing happened in the old city center. The Palacio Real was as quiet as a tourist site could be and the Museo del Prado was so quiet that Astra nearly fell asleep in one of the painting galleries. Their hostel was alien free, once again excluding Astra, as far as they knew. Although Astra was certain that the red haired girl with freckles was a tourist from the Gertic Cluster. Even the day trip to Toledo didn't bring any extra excitement and Rose was loving it.

In Córdoba Astra, Shireen and Sharon finally gave up the bet and decided just to enjoy the start of the Spanish Easter celebrations. Rose had purchased a book on the Moorish kingdom al-Andalus that had dominated the area and read out brief experts during the train ride south from Madrid.

They all agreed that the Cathedral was their favorite part of the city which was a medieval Islamic mosque that had split between Islamic and Christian worship off and on again for centuries. Astra refused to call it the cathedral and instead referred to it as the Mezquita which she enjoyed saying far more. The first night in the area they watched their first Easter procession from the window of their hostel right along the route. One of the employees at the hostel was quietly explaining the traditional robes worn by all in the parade and the tradition of children making wax balls with the drippings of the candles carried by the priests.

The Tuesday before Easter they arrived in Granada by train and settled into their hostel. Their ticket for the Alhambra were scheduled for 9:30 the next morning and they all agreed that with the crowds the 9th century and 14th century palace attracted they would be better off arriving early. That night they climbed up one of the hills surrounding the low lying city and looked across at the Alhambra in the setting sun. Rose was struck by the harmony that seems to exist in the stone fortress and palace despite the centuries that divided its periods of construction. As the sun sank light turned on in the Alhambra, illuminating its tall stone walls in a pale golden glow.

"That's really something," Sharon said in a soft voice from her seat on a low stone wall beside Rose.

"Yeah it is," Rose replied in an equally quite voice.

"I hate to say it," Shireen said, "But with our early time tomorrow we should really get back to the hostel. There only so many tickets and I'd rather use our online purchased ones than wait in the lines at 6 tomorrow morning."

"Is that what time you have to get up?" Sharon asked with a doubtful look.

"Some of the others at the hostel are going up then to get tickets," Shireen said.

"Let's not do that," Rose said as she climbed off the wall and pulled out a small torch from her pocket. "Come on then."

The next morning the girls climbed up al-Sabika hill on a long twisting road surrounded by trees that felt completely cut off from the city. Other groups of people were working their way up too or resting on the benches by the path. One group of five people were standing just off the round, each of them holding a mobile and staring at them with intense concentration. Each of them looked like locals with dark hair and dark eyes, two females and three males, but their body language seemed tense.

Suddenly one of them looked up and around as her phone beeped. Her eyes settled on Rose who held the gaze for a moment until a flash of slight pain in her head caused her to blink. Automatically Rose rubbed her head and was about to look back at the woman when Astra grabbed her hand and pulled slightly. Rose obeyed the unspoken request and followed her friends. The headache fortunately passed by the time they reached the entrance.

Grinning Rose, handed over her ticket and nodded her understanding as to when they would be allowed into the various palaces on the site and dutifully accepted the audio tours and maps. Rose hung back and allowed Shireen to set the pace as they walked out into the large garden and headed through the gardens towards the Nasrid Palaces, their first stop of the day.

When people saw images of the Alhambra what they are probably really seeing are pictures of the Nasrid Palaces. Despite having just seen the Mezquita Rose was stunned by the graceful Islamic columns and the elaborate engraving that decorated the interior stone of the palace. Their guide explained the history of the palace from its earliest days when the kings first moved their residences to the Alhambra fortress to gain a more defensible position in the low laying area to their defeat at the hands of the Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile which ended Islamic rule in the Iberian Peninsula. Each room they went through had been carefully reconstructed and the detail work amazed Rose. Her fingers were itching to do at least a drawing if not a painting in the Arabic-islamic style, maybe of the TARDIS. She smiled at the through and followed the guide into the Court of the Lions.

The Court of the Lions was an open square area surrounded by elaborate corridors open to it which reminded her of many of the Italian courtyards that she'd seen in Italy. The fountain in the middle of the square was the source of the courtyards name. A large basin with a fountain spout rested on the backs of twelve stylized carved lions.

The day passed in a blur of walking through the gardens and more elegant palaces, but none as elaborate for the Nasric Palaces. They had lunch in a small café by the Generalife before returning to the Alcazba to tour the ruins of the original fortress. When they were all finally exhausted with camera filled with photos they headed back down the hill in search of dinner and a place to get off of their feet.

Rose blinked in surprise when she noted the group of five people she had seen earlier on their way down the hill and frowned slightly. The headache returned and Rose rubbed her eyes before turning to look at them again. Stopping suddenly, Rose gasped as the tall Spanish woman she had seen earlier image flickered to a humanoid form with a lite purple skin and a pair large purple round eyes fixed on Rose.

"Rose what is it?" Shireen asked in confusion.

The alien's eyes widened in surprise and it took a step back, gesturing towards her. The hand had only three fingers and a very long thumb. The violet skin shimmered slightly in the sunlight and Rose noted that the skin seemed to have a layer of moisture on it. She took a breath and blinked again as the alien's appearance seemed to flicker between its human form and its true appearance. Glancing over at her friends Rose noticed that they were looking at her with concern rather than looking at the alien. Rose looked back at the alien sharply and experienced another pang in her head as she focused on the other four. Their appearances flickered and revealed that they looked very similar to the first alien.

The first alien seemed to be speaking with them and consulting the mobile in her hand. Rose's vision cleared slightly and the headache eased a bit as she noted that none of them had any hair and instead were completely bald with no eyebrows or eyelashes. Then the alien woman took a tentative step towards Rose, studying her carefully and raising the device that looked like a mobile phone in front of her.

"Rose?" Shireen questioned. "What's going on?"

"Alien," Rose said softly so the people walking past them didn't hear. "But I think it is okay." Slipping her hand up to her ear, Rose double checked that her translator was secure and waited for the alien to speak.

"Fire heart stone," the alien finally said. "That is what the sensors picked up this morning."

Rose looked down at the ring the Doctor had given her and then back at the alien. "Yes," she answered. "From the planet Plesadius. But I understand that it is very rare and distinct energy signature. Why are you scanning for it?"

The alien seemed both surprised and pleased that Rose understood what she was talking about. "We are scanning for anything not of this world," she replied. "But you are human." The alien looked thoughtful. "Do you see me as human?"

"Sort of," Rose answered. "Your appearance… keeps flickering in and out." Rose rubbed her head. "It is giving me a headache."

"Interesting," the alien said softly. "We are using telepathic equipment to provide our image appearance."

"Then my Durmino translator may be interfering with it," Rose offered as she adverted her eyes to relieve the pressure in her mind.

"Durmion?" the alien repeated before looking excited. "Then are you the Star Knight from Earth.?"

"You know the Durmions?" Rose questioned.

"By reputation mostly," the alien answered quickly. "But I am an archeologist and heard that one of their relics had become active once again." The alien took a step closer to Rose, but when Rose flinched at the pain in her head stepped back again. "If you will follow us then we can go someplace to talk and stop using telepathic equiptment."

"Why are you on Earth?" Rose asked first.

"One of our ships crashed here 2,000 years ago," the alien explained quickly. "It's energy containment cell is failing and leaking dangerous chemicals. We are trying to find it and stop it before it hurts your planet."

"You're a clean up crew?" Rose questioned.

"It is a bit more complex," the alien answered. "Please will you come?"

Rose looked over at her friends who were watching with confused and resigned expressions.

"I'm sorry," Rose said softly. "But this sounds important."

"Don't worry about it," Shireen said with a smile. "I'm just sorry we stopped betting on when the aliens would show up this time."

Rose gave them all a smile and turned back to the alien. "These are my friends and they'll come with us. Do you speak English?"

"Some," the alien replied tentatively. "Mostly Spanish now, but I think I can manage."

Judging from their expressions her friends had understood that statement as English.

"Then lead on to someplace we can talk," Rose said as she adverted her eyes again and rubbed her forehead, trying to ease the headache.


	32. Secret of the Alhambra: The Alaydens

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Thirty-Two: Secret of the Alhambra: The Alaydens

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: I've gotten a lot of new readers latterly which is fantastic! Thank you all so much for reading the series and leaving reviews. I'm getting ready for my holiday so I'm really busy at work and I will do my best to keep up the updates, but they won't be on schedule.

The aliens led the four young women and her four companions to a small house at the foot of the hill. It was a pleasant local home with windowsill flowers, shutters and some ivy climbing up one side. Judging from a small sign near the door it was a tourist rental property and Rose noted the name with a small sigh: Lobo Feroz rentals or Bad Wolf rentals. She heard Astra chuckle next to her.

"Technically that is the phrase used for the big bad wolf," Astra observed softly. "Not just the words bad wolf."

"Doesn't make me feel better," Rose murmured softly.

They entered the house which was fully furnished and remarkably tidy with nothing personal in sight. The leader of the aliens gestured towards the sofas and reached for a necklace around her neck. Rose sat down and her friends followed suit. Her headache eased as the alien's image stopped flickering. Sharon and Shireen gasped softly and Astra smiled slightly at the alien woman. The other aliens followed suit and resumed their natural shapes before seating themselves around the room.

"I suppose introductions are in order," the female alien said with a touch of nervousness. "I am Professor Andalin El-kartin and the leader of this expedition." She turned and gestured towards a tall male who was watching them all very carefully. "This is … I suppose Major would be the closest rank equivalent Terfirn Yarn-iyti." Andalin pointed to the other two males, "These men are Terfirn's soldiers Regir Ver-kin and Handen Sal-ter." The final alien, a female, stepped forward to stand nervously next to Andalin. "And this is my assistant and student Varlin Mer-tanik."

"Pleasure," Rose said with a nod. "I am Rose Tyler, the Star Knight of Earth." Rose pointed to each of her friends in turn. "This is Shireen Bell, Sharon Allen and Astra Wolfe." Her friends all nodded in greeting to the aliens. "Now please explain what brings you to Earth."

"We are from the Alayden Collective which is roughly 2,000 lightyears from here," Andalin explained. "I supposed the first thing you need to know is that my world operates under the rules of the Shadow Proclamation and the only reason I am speaking with you is that you are clearly an exception to Earth's usual level five status."

"So you don't interfere with less developed planets," Rose acknowledged with a nod. "Yet here you are."

"Indeed," Andalin said slowly. "Just over two thousand years ago my people were at the head of a space traveling empire and had highly advanced technology, but a civil war broke out that was followed by a plague. Much of our history, technology and even large aspects of our culture was lost to us. The Alayden Imperium of old had more than twenty planets, but after the plague only the homeworld and our two colonies within our own star system remained."

Andalin nodded towards Varlin with a small smile. "We have since relearned much of our old technology and have started to explore the universe once again. I am a Professor of … archeology I believe you would call it and Varlin has worked with me for three years now. We have spent the last two years studying ruins on our former colonial worlds in order to learn what our ancestors knew."

"What does that have to do with Earth?" Shireen asked with a touch of impatience. "I mean that's great and all, but why are you here?"

"Six months ago a survey ship swept past Earth making star charts," Varlin said speaking up for the first time. "It detected the energy signature of one of our ancestors' ships in Europe."

"The information as brought to me," Andalin explained. "Few of our people know ancient technology like me, but only twice before has such a strong signal been found. I at once came to Earth with an escort," she added nodding towards her military companions. "We isolated the energy reading and were able to trace it to the city. I believe the ship is hidden under the Alhambra."

"You said hidden," Rose observed quickly. "You mean it wasn't a crash."

"I don't think so," Andalin said with rising nervousness. "I think the ship was piloted by those trying to escape the war and the plague. During that period the old Imperial government launched several ships that were meant to serve as 'arcs' for our people and allow them to colonize other worlds."

"But why Earth?" Rose asked. "People were already here."

"I'm not sure they had a choice," Andalin said. "I won't know unless I can access the computer and translate the text."

"Translate?" Rose questioned.

"Our ancient language was largely lost," Andalin admitted. "I've been trying to reconstruct it for ten years. But back to the question of a crash, my study of this area's history there is nothing to suggest a ship crashed here two thousand years ago. Romans already occupied the area and would have left some kind of records."

"So you want to find the ship to retrieve ancient technology," Shireen said.

"Yes, but it is more complex than that," Andalin said. "If that was all we wanted the Shadow Proclamation would never have allowed us to come to Earth." Andalin looked nervous once again. "The actual reason we must find the ship is that the energy being released is that of an ancient fuel cell. We have found many of these and once their protective shell decays they become dangerous."

"How dangerous?" Rose questioned sharply.

"The levels will not harm your kind yet," Andalin said quickly. "But the levels are rising and if it is like the other energy cells that have been recovered it will finish corroding the containment shell in three months. We have been trying to locate it for the last three months."

Major Terfirn Yarn-iyti snorted slightly behind Andalin and she sighed. Rose looked over at the Major who shrugged and added, "What she means is that we have been trying to find an access portal for three months. We can tell that the ship is in the hill, but we cannot get to it without harming the structure."

"Which I want to avoid," Andalin said with a stern look. "This is a problem we brought to Earth and we shouldn't destroy their great sites."

"Better to destroy this than risk the chemicals of the energy cell getting into Earth's ocean," Terfirn argued. "Need I remind you what those chemicals did to Trideya."

"No," Andalin said softly. "You don't."

"Okay," Rose said holding up a hand. "Let me make sure I"ve got this. 2,000 years ago a ship from your planet fleeing a civil war and plague landed on Earth and was somehow hidden under al-Sabika hill. The ship's energy cells are breaking down from age and about to release tonic and alien chemicals into the environment in the next three months if it is not found and removed from Earth."

"Correct," Andalin said. "We have the means to recontain the chemicals and remove them from your planet."

"Do I want to know what happened on Trideya?" Rose asked.

"Extinction of the native animals," Terfirn said. "The old starship systems were powerful, but the energy cells were highly toxic and highly radiated. Your people have never detected the ship because none of your equipment is built for picking up such things."

"Alright," Rose said before turning her attention back to Andalin. "Why do you believe there is an access portal to the ship?"

Varlin jumped up and walked into another room. She returned a moment later with a large stack of notes and photographs. Spreading them out on the small coffee table in front of Rose, she laid out the maps of the hill, a map of the Alhambra complex and several photographs.

"These markings," Varlin said as she pointed to a small series of elegant designs that were part of the decorations of the complex. "These are ancient Alayden letters. We don't understand their meaning, but we have found them at all the ruined sites."

Rose blinked at the image and studied the letters, but nothing looked any different even with her translator. "Are you sure they are letters?" Rose questioned.

"Isn't your translator working?" Astra asked as she moved over by Rose.

"No," Rose said simply. "I see only the designs."

"A durmino translator would not know this language," Andalin said calmly.

"Mine has been programmed with a few additional languages," Rose explained calmly. She reached for a notebook on the table and a pencil and began drawing the small free standing designs in question without the other decorations. Picking up the other photos, Rose listened with one ear as Astra spoke with Andalin about their findings.

"The question I have is that the Alhambra wasn't build two-thousand years ago," Astra said which caught Rose's attention. "So how long do your kind live?"

"Only slightly longer than humans," Varlin said. "But the reason we think these codes were left for us is that we have found DNA traces of our own kind in this regions humans."

Rose looked up at Varlin. "DNA traces? Your people breed with the humans?"

"Under some kind of disguise no doubt," Andalin said. "But yes it appears that roughly 25% of the locals have a few genes from our planet within their DNA."

"So maybe a few families protected the secret about the ship," Shireen said with a grin. "And hid clues in the Alhambra. Just in case they ever needed to flee Earth or wanted to try and use it."

"The problem is that the Alhambra has been damaged," Andalin said. "Much of the reconstruction is based off of drawings over the years so I cannot be certain of anything that I find in the structure."

Rose leaned back against the sofa and studied the seemingly random little symbols on the page in front of her. The TARDIS translation circuits didn't recognize the symbols as letters despite Andalin's belief that they were. Maybe the reconstruction was too flawed or letters were missing. Maybe they weren't letters at all, but some kind of code. The TARDIS wouldn't be able to translate that.

"I'll call the Doctor," Rose said as she reached for her phone. What she didn't see as she pulled the mobile out was the look of panic on Astra's face. Shireen snatched the phone from her hand and smiled sweetly at Rose.

"Give us a moment," Shireen said to Andalin. "We need to have a word with Rose."

Rose blinked at the sudden shift in the room's mood, but nodded. Standing up, she followed Shireen towards the front door. Sharon and Astra quickly followed her into the small entry wall.

"What is it?" Rose asked her friends. "Why don't you want me to call the Doctor. The TARDIS could probably get us to the ship in just a few minutes."

"Well one you'd expose your boyfriend to the A- uh Alaydens which might not be a good thing," Sharon said.

"Plus this is a girl's holiday," Shireen said. "Let's try to take care of this ourselves. We've got a few days to explore the secret of the Alhambra, help the aliens and boost Earth's reputation. That's part of what you want isn't it."

"Are you sure?" Rose asked with a confused look. "I don't want to ruin the trip. You three can go on and explore Granda and I'll take care of this"

"Rose honey," Shireen said kindly. "If this kind of thing really bothered us we wouldn't be your girlfriends."

Rose looked over at Astra who nodded in agreement. She smiled warmly at her friends. "I don't know why you put up with me, but thanks."

"You're never dull," Sharon said with smile. "Don't worry so much Rose."

"It'll be a different way to explore Spain," Astra said. "Solving an old alien puzzle at one of Earth's great architectural achievements sounds fantastic."

"Alright," Rose said slowly. "I guess I'll tell Andalin that we're in." She gave her friends one more look before she turned and walked back into the main room.

Astra sighed in relief and said. "Thanks."

"What was with that panicked expression for earlier," Sharon asked.

"Well if Rose called the Doctor the call would probably go to him in the time period he's dating her."

"Before you're born," Shireen realized.

"Yes," Astra said. "And while I can hide myself from him when his timeline doesn't line up with mine I don't think I could hide what I was if he was in the same city as me."

Shireen nodded with understanding and Sharon smiled. "That could have been really entertaining though." When Astra and Shireen gave her a look she just laughed and shrugged, "Come on it would have been. He already knows that Rose will be coming back and I'm pretty sure that they get married, but confronting the Doctor with a kid would be funny."

"Especially since Rose said it wasn't possible for her to get pregnant by the Doctor when I asked her about protection," Sharon said with a look at Astra. "I assume you were engineered."

"Not exactly," Astra said. "Look please don't ask me about that. I don't want to lie."

"Uh okay," Shireen said with a shrug before looking at Sharon. "You seriously asked Rose about that."

"I'm a medical student," Sharon defended. "I'm allowed to be concerned about possible consequences from one of my best friends sleeping with an alien."

"And let's please change the subject," Astra said quickly as she shuddered.

"Right," Shireen said with a laugh. "Let's go help Rose protect our home planet." Then she paused and looked at Astra, "Earth is your home planet right?"

"Officially," Astra said with a shrug. "I was supposed to be born here, but I was actually born on an asteroid called Demon's Run." Astra nodded towards the doorway. "Come on, let's go help Rose."


	33. Secret of the Alhambra: Puzzle Pieces

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Thirty-Three: Secret of the Alhambra: Pieces of a Puzzle

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: I'm so glad I got this done! I'm going camping for five nights starting tomorrow! I'm taking a blank notebook so with some luck I'll get some writing done!

Andalin and Varlin went over all of their findings with Rose. Apparently the symbols they had found in the Alhambra were a variation to those found in one of the ruined cities. Not exactly the same, but similar enough to attract their attention.

"It seems like the symbols may have become part of the culture of the area," Varlin explained as she showed Rose images from other area mosques. "This area developed a slightly different Islamic art style and a different culture."

"You think the survivors who mixed with humans are the reason for that?" Shireen asked.

"Not the only reason I'm sure," Varlin said quickly. "But it seems reasonable to believe that at least of those who settled here with the humans would teach their children at least some of the culture of their homeland."

"And Al Andalus was a much more liberal culture compared to both its Moorish and Christian neighbors," Andalin added.

"The problem is the Christian whitewash," Rose muttered as the studied the drawings. "If there is a code hidden here then we only have a part of it due to older sections being torn down and rebuilt." She ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

"You need a break," Shireen said suddenly. "Come on, time for food. Let's hit one of the Tapas bars and relax for a bit."

"But-"

"No," Sharon said firmly with a nod to Shireen. "Come on, you're do this better when you aren't sleeply."

"Perhaps that is best," Andalin said to Rose. "We could use some rest ourselves. If you are still willing then we will meet here in the morning at nine o'clock."

Shireen and Sharon nodded in agreement and grabbed their things, not giving Rose a chance to argue.

"Uh," Rose finally managed. "See you tomorrow then I guess." She was pulled out the front door into the dusk by her friends.

"Now," Astra said clapping her hands together. "Tapas!"

Rose didn't sleep well that night, in her dreams she kept seeing the symbols, but they still made no sense. The knowledge that she was dreaming kept waking her up and finally she gave up and climbed out the hostel bed. Using her mobile, Rose found her shoes and key and went downstairs. Astra was sitting at a table with a book open in front of her and looked up as Rose entered the room.

"Hi," Astra said as she glanced at Rose's pjs and messy hair. "Couldn't sleep?"

"No," Rose said, joining Astra at the table. "What about you?"

"I rarely sleep the whole night," Astra said with a shrug.

"I remember," Rose replied with a smile, remembering all the time back at Horath Academy that she'd woken up at night to find Astra reading in her bed. "Have you ever figured that out?"

"It's not a problem," Astra assured her. "I guess I just am naturally caffeinated."

Rose shook her head and leaned on her hand against the table.

"Want to talk about it?" Astra asked.

"I'm waiting for the problem to show up," Rose admitted. "The Alaydens seem nice and I think they're telling the truth."

"So?"

"So what else is going to happen?" Rose asked. "Last time I tried to help a peaceful group of aliens UNIT was attacked and a lot of people were hurt." Rose paused and looked at Astra. "I shouldn't talk about it."

"Not everything ends badly," Astra said gently. "This might just be a little blip on your radar for this trip."

"Maybe," Rose said, not sounding convinced.

"Is there something else?" Astra questioned.

"My life," Rose said sweeping her hand around. "I mean I'm on holiday and I encounter aliens, that's just insane. Sometimes….."

"What?"

"Sometimes I wonder about this is all," Rose said. "I don't regret it now because it is exciting and I get to make a difference, but I worry that in thirty years I'll regret all of this."

"What about the Doctor?" Astra asked softly.

"I love him," Rose said quickly. "But I don't know, he'll outlive me by such a margin and we can't have kids together. I'm not interested in not having him in my life, but I also worry sometimes." Rose shook her head and sighed. "Wow I'm depressing late at night when I'm tired."

"It's okay," Astra said, reaching over to squeeze Rose's hand. "Not one has life figured out at our age."

Rose chuckled and nodded with a tiny smile pulling at her lips. "You're probably right."

Astra closed her book and stood up. "Come on," she said. "We should both try to get some more sleep."

They returned to the room and climbed into their bunk beds and Rose fell back to sleep in about twenty minutes. Once she was sure that Rose was back to sleep, Astra pulled out a flashlight and returned to her book.

The next morning they ate a quick breakfast at the hostel and grabbed coffee on their way to the Alaydens' house. Varlin opened the door and Rose flinched since the telepathic image was on. Once they were all inside Varlin locked the door, pulled the curtains shut and turned it off. Rose sighed and rubbed her head gently before walking into the main room to join Andalin. The Alaydens soldiers glanced at them, but then seemed content to sit and play a card game in the kitchen. After watching Rose struggle for an hour, Shireen joined them to learn how to play. Apparently the game included a lot of allusions to their planetary history, but Shireen still won the second game she played.

Two hours later they had compared the symbols to Andalin's notes trying to find any possible matches. They symbols were close, but not exactly the same. Rose was leaning towards two explanations: one the language had changed between the time of the original aliens and the construction of the Alhambra to the point that no one, not even the TARDIS could understand them or that they were part of a code.

"If's it's a code there has to be a key," Rose said. "They'd want people to be able to find it, these symbols had to have been drawn to look like the language."

"Yeah it'd be nasty of them to leave a puzzle no one could solve," Shireen sighed as she flopped onto the sofa after growing bored with the card game. Major Terfirn was smirking at her from the doorway so Rose could guess who'd won the last round.

"What?" Rose asked as she looked up quickly at Shireen.

"I said it'd be nasty of them to leave a puzzle no one could solve," Shireen repeated.

A strange look dawned on Rose's face and she looked down at the map and the various curving symbols that had been found.

"Puzzle…" she said softly. Then Rose stood up and looked over at Andalin. "Do you have a ruler?"

"A ruler?" Andalin asked.

"A straight edge," Rose clarified hopefully. "Oh and some scissors too."

Major Terfirn vanished back into the kitchen and returned a moment later with a basic clear plastic ruler and a pair of scissors.

"Perfect," Rose said cheerfully as she accepted the tools.

"Rose?" Sharon asked as her friend grabbed a blank sheet of paper and began to draw even squares with the ruler.

"Puzzle," Rose said to herself as she switched the ruler around to draw the next set of lines. "Maybe if they are the same size…."

Andalin leaned over to watch as Rose finished a grid of even squares and picked up the pictures of the various symbols. Turning the picture around with a thoughtful expression a few times, Rose then began to carefully redraw the symbols inside the square with two of the edges of the symbol up against the end of the square. When she had completed three of them, adjusting their sizes so they were all the same size Astra understood.

"Puzzle pieces," Astra said with a laugh. "You think that's it?"

"Maybe," Rose said as started on the next symbol. "I doubt we have all of them due to the reconstruction, but maybe there is enough. My translator doesn't recognize them as a language so there has to be something else here."

Rose finished the thirteen little drawings and carefully cut them up. She spread them out before her thoughtfully before pulling the map of the Alhambra over to her.

"Puzzle," Rose said to herself. "Where do the pieces fit?"

Then Rose snatched up one of the slips of paper and carefully set it over the outline of the cliff edge right in front of the Alcazaba. The symbol was a bit smoother than the map outline, but it fit the shape. Rose's pieces were a little larger, but they could see the lines underneath. Picking up another piece, Rose looked on Anadlin's map for where it was found and traced her finger to the nearest cliff edge. The symbol roughly matched the edge and Andalin's brightened. She moved over next to Rose and in a flurry of hands they matched up the pieces to the edge of the Alhambra.

The older side of the hill was mostly outlined with the newer side built in the 16th century onwards not being mapper. In two places the cliff side was outlined, but an extra curved line came out from the symbol. When they were done, only two pieces didn't match up so Rose pulled them away and examined them.

Varlin picked up one of the pieces and set it down against one of the lines that came out of the cliff map, but it sloped back to the wall. She tried the other piece which curved further down. Then Andalin picked up the other remaining piece and lined it up with the first exterior piece. They matched up and formed a half V coming out of the cliff with part of it missing.

"That could be an arrow," Shireen said. "It's in the forest area."

"We looked around there," Andalin said. "We didn't see anything out of place."

"If it was out of place then humans would have messed with it," Sharon pointed out. "Plus that is a much smaller area to search than the whole hill."

"It's worth a try at least," Rose said as she pulled out her mobile and took a picture of the rough map. "I just hope its accurate."

"Yes," Andalin said with a sad hint in her voice. "I estimate that we are missing a fourth of the pieces."

"Let's cross our fingers that it is enough," Rose said. "I'm afraid you'll have to put your telepathic imagers back on." Rose pulled off her translator and put in her pocket. "Let's hope that helps my headaches.

Pulling off the translator didn't help and Rose was a bit concerned that it was her sword which was not so simple to remove. By virtue of the bracelet, it Rose took it off it returned to her. She couldn't even take it off to shower. To avoid a massive headache, Rose led the group back up the hill on the Cuesta de Gomérez. When they reached roughly the right area that she had marked on her tourist map, Rose looked around to make sure they were clear. Then everyone climbed over the short fence and vanished up the hill into the trees.

"I hope we find it," Shireen muttered as she joined Rose at the front.

"It's around here somewhere," Sharon pointed out.

"But we don't have all the map," Shireen reminded her. "What if it is just a marker or something."

"Think positive," Astra said with a smile, earning a look from both the young women.

"Well it shouldn't look like anything special," Rose said with a frown. "It'll blend in so look at everything carefully."

They split into two groups, a mix of humans and Alaydens to give a fresh perspective to everything. Half an hour past and Rose was starting to wonder if they were missing too much of the map. She really didn't want to see the Alhambra destroyed in order to stop the chemical leak. Shaking her head, Rose banished the thought. They still had a couple of days and if she needed to send her friends on without her she would.

"We'll find it," Shireen said as if reading her thoughts.

"Yeah," Rose agreed without any passion.

"What about that?" Varlin said next to Rose. She pointed up ahead to a small brick structure that stuck out of the side of the hill. At first glance Rose was tempted to dismiss it, such little pockets of bricks were all over the hill from earlier construction, but it was in the right place.

The group approached it and Rose looked it over. The stone was worn and very old, but still mostly intact in a straight shape. But it had a large hole on the front where several bricks had been removed.

"I think we looked at this," Varlin said with a sigh. "Never mind."

Rose leaned and looked down in the hole, there were a few pieces of trash inside, but nothing else. Still she plucked out the trash and reached inside to feel around. The stone inside was surprisingly smooth despite its age and exposure.

"Did you reach inside?" Rose asked Varlin.

"No," Varlin said with a confused look.

Rose stepped back and gestured to it. "Please try."

Varlin gave Rose a strange look, but stepped forward and with a displeased grimace slipped her hand into the dirty hole.

"What are you hoping for?" Major Terfirn asked.

"I don't know," Rose said with a frown. "But maybe some kind of recognition system for Alaydens." She shrugged at their looks. "Hey it's all I can think of."

Suddenly Varlin gave a cry and pulled her hand out. Red blood was seeping from her fingertips. Her cry brought Andalin, Astra, Sharon Regir and Handen running over.

"What happened?" Andalin asked.

No one answered the question because the hole in the brick structure began to glow slightly with a light violet color. Rose leaned over cautiously and grinned in amazement. The smooth stones were suddenly bright with markings and what almost looked like circuitry. A low grinding sound reached her ears and Rose took a step back on reflect. The stones around the hole slowly shifted inwards as the violet glow spread over the formation. After a minute of the grinding noise and the stones moving a small narrow doorway appeared and the violet light faded. Pulling out her torch, Rose shined it down into the doorway. A long dark corridor stretched out in front of them at a downward slopping angle.

"Handen, Regir stand guard here," Major Terfin said sharply to the others. "Distract humans from seeing this as much as her can." He pulled out a torch from his own belt and stepped forward towards the doorway. Due to his height it took him a few moments to mauver so that he could move.

Rose entered next, followed by Andalin and then Varlin, Astra, Sharon and Shireen. As they descended into the tunnel Rose heard someone humming the Indiana Jones theme song and somehow knew it was Astra.


	34. Secret of the Alhambra: Hidden Cavern

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Thirty-Four: Secret of the Alhambra: Hidden Cavern

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: Congratulations to John Barrowman in his recent marriage! I'm sorry this was delayed, my mother's sister passed away and I've been spending time with her this week. This episode ended up being shorter and calmer than I planned, but with the rest of the season I think that's a good thing.

The theme tune to Indiana Jones confused the Alaydens, but it made Shireen and Sharon giggle. Judging from their nervous giggles that echoed along the passage they probably needed it. Rose personally was waiting for the cave in or something else to go wrong. Her torch blub flickered for a moment and she sucked in a sharp breath, but it quickly started working normally once again. Then the corridor began to open up and there was a faint light up ahead.

Gasping, Rose grinned widely as she stepped into the large cavern. A small smooth ship was standing in the middle of the room with bits of dirt and grime dulling the surface in many places, but other gleamed in the purple lights that were placed around the cavern. They were tall and faceted like crystals with no clear division of parts, but glowing with a low light that was growing brighter as each of them stepped into the cavern until the light was bright enough to illuminate the entire cavern. Most of it looked natural with shining stalactites hanging from the ceiling and almost glowing purple in the faint lights of the equipment. Stalagmites were fewer in number, but some were growing out of the floor around the lamps.

"Incredible," Andalin breathed. "Just incredible."

"Pretty," Astra said with a smile as she moved out of the doorway and turned off the torch she was holding. "I like the purple," she observed with a grin.

Rose giggled, the sound echoing slightly in the cavern. Turning off her own torch she turned to Andalin who was examining one of the lanterns with Major Terfirn Yarn-iyti. Both of them had turned off their telepathic imagers and Rose glanced around to confirm that Varllin had done the same. Gently, Rose reached into her pocket to retrieve her translator and slipped it back on. The Alaydens were talking quietly and after a moment the Major nodded and turned back towards the ship. Andalin inched towards it and Rose stepped back to join her friends as the Alaydens cautiously walked to the ship.

"How do we open it?" Varlin asked.

"There must be an access hatch near here," Andalin said. "That's where it was on the wrecks we found."

"Those wrecks were larger ships," Varlin said as she ran a hand over the dirty metal in search of a seam. "This is a different design."

Glancing around, Rose began to slowly move through the cavern looking for anything other technology. In front of the ship between a pair of the purple lights were a small pedestal with more of the symbols on them. Using her hand, Rose gently brushed away the mineral buildup from the cave and studied the words.

"Andalin," Rose called. "Over here, I think this will activate for you."

Andalin was at Rose's side in an instant. She pulled out a small hand device and held it towards the pedestal. A small light flashed and ran over the inscription making Rose guess it was some kind of camera.

"I understand your desire to study this," Rose said gently. "But I'd really like to get the potentially dangerous failing ship part off of my planet."

"Oh," Andalin's skin flushed dark violet. "And you think me touching it will do something?"

"Well the touch of an Alayden opened the tunnel," Rose reminded her. "Let's give it a try."

Andalin reached over and brushed her fingers over the pedestal, but nothing happened. Then the archeologist leaned over to study the pedestal more closely. A moment later she smiled and pressed down gently on a button. The top of the pedestal flickered and there was a crack of energy before a fuzzing hologram appeared above the pedestal.

The hologram came more into focus, but was still distorted. It was a female Alayden who resembled Andalin with shining violet skin and large purple eyes looking unseeing towards them. However, the figure was dressed in what looked like a Roman style dress with gold bracelets on her violet arms.

"Welcome," the figure said. "You have come a long way to find this place and I shall hope that you come from our home world. When we departed we did not know if any others of our species would survive. We traveled far, but were forced to land on this planet following an engine malfunction that made continuing beyond this star system risky. Using telepathic imagers we were able to hid within the local population and at first we hoped to repair the ship, but in time we found ourselves a new home here. While this world was not as advance as our own and the people more primitive we found peace here that we had not on our homeworld. To our surprise we were able to reproduce with the natives and at first we taught our children some of our secrets, but they lacked the ability to activate our technology which requires a genetic code."

The figure now gestured around at the cavern. "We secured this hiding spot for the ship in order to preserve something of us should the homeworld be destroyed. Our DNA lives on in small fragments within some humans and the ship was meant to give rise to a new world. While all of this remains intact our presence here has changed the humans forever. We will give rise to a new world, if not in the way we expected."

Then the figure chuckled. "It now occurs to me that you may not be from our homeworld, but that humans might someday discover their connection to us and find this place." She smiled warmly. "If that is the case then be cautious with what you find and remember us. We were not many and little of us survives in you, but we touched you and I believe we touched you for good."

The image flickered and vanished leaving Andalin staring at the empty space with a sad, but triumphant expression on her face. She pulled her hand away from the pedestal and turned to Varlin who had an expression of awe on her face. "It would seem that the verbal language is not too badly changed."

"Yes," Varlin said weakly. "But perhaps given the events of the war that should not be a surprise."

"Let's find that energy cell," Andalin said as she turned to the Major. "And copy any computer information we can find."

"What of the ship?" the Major asked.

Andalin looked over at the ship with a sad smile. "We cannot remove it safely, that much is clear. Perhaps humans who carry the Alayden DNA will discover it one day and be able to play the message." She looked at Rose who smiled and nodded. Andalin nodded in return and walked over to the ship with Varlin and resumed their search for the opening.

"Let me guess what she said: Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi you're my only hope," Astra said softly with a wide smile as she walked up to join Rose by the pedestal.

"Can't you take anything seriously?" Rose asked with a smile of her own.

"Harder without a translator, besides no violent aliens, no world at stake and no risk to friends and family, just seeing something beyond what other humans will see for hundreds of years," Astra observed looking over at the ship. "Don't you just love it?"

Rose blinked at Astra and then looked over at the Alaydens as they opened their ship with awed looks. A smile tugged at her lips. "Yeah," she said. "Yeah I love it." Rose sighed softly with a surprised look on her face. "I'd almost forgotten that."

"Never forget that," Astra said as she reached over and took Rose's hand. "You have an amazing life."

"Rose!" Andalin's voice called from the ship's side as the door slowly creaked open. "Come see this!"

"Go on," Astra urged. "Have fun."

Rose giggled softly and pulled out her sonic pen before joining the Alaydens. Following them inside, Rose smiled as the old systems struggled to turn on the lights. The hallways were dim, but the metal was smooth and curved into round hallways. There was a slight violet tint to the metal that after a moment Rose decided was indeed a part of the metal and not just from the lights. Andalin led the way up a level to a large room with a glowing metal casing. Studying it, Rose could see a small hole in the metal that looked like it had been caused by corrosion.

"Here it is," Major Terfirn said as he caught Rose's arm. "I think you should leave now Rose, these chemicals are far more dangerous to you than to us."

"Please," Andalin said. "Varlin and the Major will handle this part of the mission." She gestured back the way they'd came. "Please invite the others in and we will see what can be salvaged from the computer."

Nodding in agreement, Rose followed Andalin back to the main door before sticking her head out and giving the call clear to her friends.

"This is great," Shireen said as she climbed into the ship. "An alien spacecraft, friendly aliens and we'll stil get to Seville in time to see the Easter procession."

"easter," Rose said. "Yeah right, that's Sunday."

"Typical," Sharon said with a laugh and a shake of her head. "You'd forgotten why we came to Spain in the first place."

"I did not," Rose argued.

"Did too," Sharon said. "You were thinking about aliens."

"No I wasn't."

"Yeah you were," Shireen said with a grin.

Astra grinned at them, but shook her head and turned to Andalin. "So computer right?"

"Uh," Andalin said looking a bit flustered, "I believe it is this way."

"They'll catch up," Astra promised with a nod towards Rose, Sharon and Shireen. "They just need a moment."

"If you say so," Andalin said with one final glance at Rose before she turned to lead Astra to the computer room.

The airport of Malaga was smaller than the Barcelona airport that they'd all arrived in Spain through, but felt busy all the same as the international flights were announced. It was the Wednesday after Easter Sunday and time for Astra, Sharon, Shireen and Rose to return to their regular university lives. They'd left on schedule for Seville and received a message late Saturday night just before the Easter procession began that the energy cell was safely off of Earth. Content that they'd finished the latest alien task Rose had allowed herself to fully enjoy the parade of elaborate carried floats, the sea of robes and march of candles that made up the final grand Easter procession. They'd even found a good place to watch the parade from which occurred in the early hours of the morning before the sun rose.

With a sigh, Astra looked up at the board that was announcing her flight to New York City.

"You've got a long day," Rose observed from next to her. "We've just got a few hours, but you've got to cross half the Earth."

"I'll be fine," Astra said with a grin. "Private little telly remember."

"I remember," Rose said. "Hopefully there's some good movies to pick from. When I went to see Ace in New York there was only one interesting film."

"If that's the case I'll play games," Astra said with a shrug.

"Are you sure you've got everything you need?" Rose asked.

"I'm fine Mum," Astra said with an eye roll and then blushed slightly.

Shireen and Sharon giggled behind their hands, but Rose rolled her eyes in response. "Fine, fine," she said. "Forgive me for wanting to make sure you had everything."

Astra glanced at Shireen and Sharon and then over at a little shop. "Actually could you get me some tissues while I double check things, I'm feeling a little stuffy."

Rose blinked at Astra, but nodded and walked over to the small lobby shop where a few people were grabbing things. Astra stepped forward and hugged Shireen tightly.

"You're a great friend to her," Astra told her softly. "Never doubt that. Growing up you were always Aunt Shireen." Astra released her and looked over at Sharon. "And you were Aunt Sharon. I'm half human, this is the closet I have to a homeworld and the people here that made up my human family matter so much to me."

"I guess the Club is a big part of that," Sharon said with a smile as she stepped forward to hug Astra.

"Not as much as you'd think. Daddy is still a bit nervous around them, but Sarah Jane did look after me more than once. Dad always said Ian couldn't be trusted not to tell tales." Astra brushed a loose strand of brown hair behind her ear. "Besides the companions I know best are Jack and Donna."

"Ah Captain Jack," Shireen said with a chuckle. "Your dad let you spend time with him as a kid?"

"He'd never risk scarring one of the Doctor's kids," Astra replied with a laugh. She glanced over her shoulder to see Rose approaching. "Look one more thing: history doesn't always happen like you think it should."

"What does that mean?" Sharon asked with a perplexed look as Astra's face became very serious.

"Things may happen that seem wrong to you, but they may in fact be what has to happen," Astra said. "Make sure you live in the present and don't worry about the future." Astra let out a breath. "Forget that I even exist as anything other than your friend in America."

"Here you go," Rose said to Astra as she joined them and handed Astra the tissues. "Have everything?"

"Yeah," Astra said as she slipped the small package into her bag. "That's it." She stepped forward and hugged Rose tightly. "I'm going to miss you most," she said.

Rose laughed and returned the hug. "I'll miss you too, don't forget to call."

"I won't," Astra promised. "And you take care of yourself."

"I will," Rose promised as she released Astra. "Thanks for joining us."

"It was my pleasure," Astra told her with a grin. "Lots of fun!" She shrugged with a guilty look. "I'm just sorry you three had to come to the airport early like this."

"It was check out time anyway," Shireen said with a shrug. "And at least we're through security early."

"Yeah, three hours early," Sharon said with a raised eyebrow. "And we've already had lunch now."

"Come on," Rose said gesturing towards Astra's gate. "You'd better go."

Astra hugged them all one more time and grabbed her carry on. As she walked to her gate, she turned and gave them a wave before handing her ticket to the attendant. Rose sighed as Astra vanished through the doorway.

"So what did she want to talk with the two of you about?" Rose asked. "I know she didn't really need those tissues."

"Oh just the usual," Shireen said quickly. "Asked us to keep an eye on you and be sure to remind the Doctor to treat you right."

Rose looked over at them with a doubtful expression. "Alright have your secrets then, but secrets don't stay that way forever," Rose said before she picked up her own bag and gestured down towards their gate. "Shall we at least get as comfortable as possible."

"Lead the way," Sharon said and as Rose moved forward she leaned over and whispered. "I really hope I get to be there when Rose does find out the secret."

"Me too," Shireen said, but then she frowned. "What do you think Astra was talking about?"

"I don't know," Sharon said softly. "But I suspect that we'll find out soon."

"I'm sorry to disturb you Rose," Spock said, "But this is an emergency and I don't think it's a good idea for Sarah Jane to take this one."

Rose frowned and held her phone closer to her ear. "What's going on Spock?"

"Ihave detected an Otharan distress beacon from a ship that has crashed on Earth."

"Have the Otharans detected it?" Rose asked. "And is that good or bad for Earth."

"The Otharans are usually a peaceful species," Spock answered quickly. "But I'm afraid that the ship which crashed is carrying an important member of the Otharan Council."

"Bugger," Rose said. "That's not good, they might freak out."

"I'm afraid it is much worse than that," Spock said. "Torchwood responded faster than UNIT and has taken the ship and Councilor Aseri into custody meaning that UNIT has no jurisdiction. The distress signal is coming from inside Torchwood One and Torchwood's policy is-"

"If it's alien it's ours," Rose quoted. "Hartman is about to start a war."

"As I said," Spock said in his monotone voice. "This is an emergency. I suggest you get to London immediately."


	35. Interlude with Jack

Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Thirty-Five: Interlude with Jack

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: I'm so sorry for the massive delay, real life has been insane lately and inspiration has been hard to come by. Since I haven't really had the time to work on the next episode I decided I'd do something a bit different since the last episode was shorter. Think of this as one of those little cute mini-episodes they do for Children in Need. Hopefully I can get my writing back on track the next week.

Rose rolled over with a groan and picked up the ringing mobile phone. A quick glance at the alarm clock told her that it really wasn't very early, but she was still on break so it felt like it was.

"Hello," Rose said as clearly as she could manage.

"Morning gorgeous," a cheerful male voice said on the other end. In her half asleep state it took Rose a moment to place the voice.

"Jack?" She asked a moment later when her brain began to work. Sitting up straight in bed, Rose's expression became worried. "Is something wrong?"

"Relax Rose," Jack said with a chuckle, "Nothing is wrong."

"Oh," Rose replied softly as she stood up and walked to her dresser. "Then hello."

"Hello Rose," Jack said sounding like he wanted to laugh. "Doesn't Cambridge start back up on your birthday this year?"

"Yeah," Rose answered. "I'm heading back tomorrow to get settled back in and then the Doctor's picking me up."

"I'm jealous," Jack said with a huff. "Then how about lunch, just the two of us."

Rose blinked in surprise, sure she knew Jack was a friend, but this was a bit of a surprise. "Okay," she heard herself say. "Where do you want to meet?"

"How about I pick you up?" Jack asked.

"Alright," Rose said. "Mum's out of the house most of the time right now."

"Right," Jack said slowly. "She knows one of the big secrets now." There was a paused, "Things still awkward."

"Yeah," Rose answered softly with a sigh. "She barely talks to me."

"I'll be by in an hour," Jack said pleasantly. "See you gorgeous."

Rose closed her mobile and looked at herself in the mirror. "Do you know what you just got yourself into?" she asked herself, but she didn't have an answer.

Rose showered and washed her hair before doing it up in a quick side crown braid to keep her long bangs out of her face. She had originally planned on having her Mum trim up her hair, but with the awkwardness Rose wasn't going to ask Jackie to come near her with scissors. Besides as she considered the style that Shireen had suggested Rose considered that maybe it was time to let her bangs grow all the way out.

Not knowing what Jack had in mind, Rose dressed in blue dark jean and a purple turtleneck tanktop that Sharon had talked her into buying. It was dressy enough to work if they went someplace nice, but not too much. As she slipped on her jewelry, Rose gently touched her sapphire pendent. It occurred to her that she was about to turn twenty and poor Jane had only been sixteen. Rose had a great if odd significant other while Jane had been abandoned by the very husband whose family had pulled her into the royal fray. Taking a deep breath, Rose tried to clear her thoughts, getting angry about Jane's fate wouldn't change anything and wouldn't help anything. But maybe it was time to swing by the Tower of London and put some new flowers on the grave.

She grabbed a small purse and transferred her mobile, wallet and sonic pen into it along with a few other things. Glancing at the clock, Rose headed downstairs to wait for Jack. Rose studied the house thoughtfully and she leaned against a wall. One of her mother's pink jackets was tossed over the back of the parlor sofa and a popcorn bag was on the coffee table from when she'd been watching TV. Her eyes trailed up the painting of Lumen and Rose gazed at it thoughtfully. The glowing figure looked out towards her with the TARDIS standing in the background surrounded by the stars. Yet how Rose at the age of fourteen had painted the TARDIS she'd never seen remained a mystery. She half hoped Shireen was right that she'd seen it during one of her early meetings with the Doctor out of the corner of her eye and the image of it was in her subconscious. But Rose didn't think that was it. She just didn't have a better explanation yet.

The doorbell rang and Rose couldn't help, but smile a little. Jack Harkness did like to say he was gentleman. Rose's smile widened a little bit more as she wondered if she should check for mistletoe when she opened the door. Jack was dressed a lot more simply than he had been last time Rose saw him. His long coat was gone and he was in a blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up exposing his vortex manipulator on his wrist.

"Rosie!" Jack greeted with a wide smile as he held out his arms waiting for a hug.

Rose grinned, but looked up and examined the doorframe and overhang making Jack laugh. She looked back at the former Time Agent and then stepped forward to hug him. Peeking over his shoulder, Rose saw a black SUV parked on the street.

"You actually have a vehicle?" Rose asked.

"What did you think when I said I'd pick you up?" Jack asked as he released her. "Just the vortex manipulator?"

"If you had then I would have insisted on driving," Rose said with a shudder. "I hate traveling with those things. They're so bumpy."

"Now you sound like the Doctor," Jack said with an eye roll. "He always going on about the TARDIS."

"Well you have to admit that she is amazing," Rose said kindly, "But I suppose a vortex manipulator is a great backup."

"Exactly," Jack said in a pleased tone. "Mind you, even he knows that since he's the one who fixed it for me." Jack smiled at her. "Course part of the arrangement was that I'd use it to make sure you escaped dangerous situation."

Now Rose rolled her eyes. "Honestly you two. I can take care of myself you know."

"I know," Jack said. "And he knows that to, it's just part of how we operate." Jack gave her a pointed look. "And I think we both know that you'll end up dong some crazy things to protect the Doctor and I in the future."

"Possibly," Rose said with a noncommittal shrug. "Let me grab my purse," she said. "And Mum's not home so its safe to come in."

"Safe?" Jack asked as he followed Rose into the parlor.

"Well I suppose you wouldn't mind my Mum's flirting, but I don't want to see it." Rose answered as she grabbed her purse.

She turned back to Jack only to find his eyes on the Lumen painting and a small smile on his face. Rose studied his expression and then glanced back at the painting, wondering what Jack was seeing that she wasn't.

"Does it mean something to you?" Rose asked.

"Well it is the painting that saved the Doctor's life," Jack told her in a cheerful tone. "Pretty amazing in that light don't you think."

"Yeah," Rose said suspiciously which only made Jack grin at her.

"Don't fish Rose," Jack said. "I used to be a Time Agent, I'm trained not to give things away."

"But you've told me a lot of things," Rose argued as she followed Jack back towards the door.

"Gorgeous I have never revealed anything to you that I did not mean to reveal to you."

Rose huffed slightly and closed the door, locking it with a quick flick of her sonic pen.

"Key too normal for you?" Jack asked.

"No," Rose said. "Just already at the bottom of the purse."

Jack opened the passenger door for her with an exaggerated movement and Rose tried to hide her smile. As Jack climbed in the drivers side, Rose spotted Gita Chandra down the street watching them. The Indian woman waved to Rose with a wide smile and Rose managed a small wave back as Jack pulled away from the curb.

"Lovely," Rose said. "Now the whole street is going to be talking about you, probably think you're my boyfriend."

"Is that so bad?" Jack teased.

"With my Mum yes," Rose muttered. "She'll accuse me of keeping more secrets."

"Well you do have a secret boyfriend," Jack said gently.

"Yeah, hence the guilt," Rose muttered.

"It'll get better," Jack promised. "And if it helps while she and the Doctor's ninth regeneration will never get along well she and the tenth regeneration get on fine."

"The Doctor has hinted as much," Rose said. "Which I hope means she forgives me."

"She will," Jack promised. "She's just taking in a lot right now." He reached over and touched her hand gently. "You'll see it will be fine, just give it some time."

"Time," Rose said softly. "Always an interesting factor in my life."

"A fascinating one," Jack agreed.

"Engaging," Rose said on an impulse making Jack grin.

"Captivating," he suggested.

"Entrancing," Rose added with a giggle.

"Alluring," Jack said making Rose laugh.

"That last one sounds a bit less like interesting and more like something else," Rose said. "Probably form one of your pickup lines."

"I'll have you know missy that my lines have never failed me."

"You tried them on me," Rose reminded him with a grin.

"I wasn't really trying," Jack told her with a chuckle. "If I had been though the Doctor would have been in trouble."

"Keep telling yourself that," Rose told him. "Just don't tell the Doctor that."

"So birthday girl," Jack said after a moment. "Twenty huh?"

"Yeah two whole decades," Rose shook her head and chuckled. "Doesn't seem like much to be honest."

"Well you are dating someone who is over nine hundred years old," Jack said.

"He's older than that," Rose told him. "He lost count years ago, but I think he just doesn't want to admit to being over a thousand years old."

"The Doctor vain?" Jack asked in mock shock. "Never!"

Rose laughed and settled back in her seat to watch the buildings go by as Jack drove her into London. "Hey Jack?"

"Yeah Rosie?"

"Thanks," Rose told him. "I know that our timelines are weird, but it's nice to have a friend like you. Sharon and Shireen are amazing, but they don't really get the timetravel thing and the companions don't know about my relationship. So thanks."

"You're welcome," Jack told her gently. "And it's the same for me you know. Not the dating the Doctor thing obviously, although that would be nice, but my timelines are all over the place too." He looked over at Rose. "Never doubt that we've a family Rose, a weird one, but we are definitely a family."

"I suppose I could have worse flirting partners/friend/brother figures," Rose said. "No matter how weird that sounds."

Jack sighed loudly. "Just stomp all over my dreams Rosie." Then he winked at her and Rose smiled warmly.


End file.
